#Lydia did a very good job

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Tread Carefully ~ S.S.

Request: “Stiles x male reader, reader getting hurt trying to protect stiles from a werewolf” by anon

Word Count: 1400+

MASTERLIST

Stiles had been harboring a crush on Lydia Martin for as long as he could remember. Even longer than Scott had known about it; and that was ages. So when he actually became friends with her, he'd thought he'd had a chance.

And then she'd dated Allison.

If he was honest, Stiles really hadn't ever considered that before. I mean yeah, he knew about queer people. But every time he brought it up, people had brushed it off and dismissed it. Stiles especially just wasn't - according to everyone. So he had never thought about it, until his old crush became one of his best friends and then she was taking about it all the time. Telling him about how happy she was, and when he asked, about how she'd realized she was into women. And suddenly he realized something he'd never considered before: he'd one hundred percent had a crush on Scott when they were kids. 

He didn't tell anyone for a long time. Well, anyone but Lydia. She was a fantastic confidante and an even better secret keeper. And she was good at keeping Stiles' sexuality a secret... until he developed a crush on her brother.

Y/n Martin was very different than his sister. They were a unit, they always had been, but where Lydia leaned into expectation to make herself popular and as perfect as possible, Y/n had leaned away from it. He didn't have a lot of friends, outside of the kids in the programming club, and some people he'd met over the internet. He was the type that knew high school was stupid, and thought that made him a little bit cooler than everyone else.

Stiles thought he was awesome. Y/n was putting as little effort into school as possible, focused less on college and more on learning to program and prepping himself to just do that forever. He was smart, which meant he knew that school didn't actually teach you anything you needed to know - as long as you knew what you were heading into. He often talked Lydia's ear off about how school was just preparing you to be part of the machine of society, and rolled his eyes when Lydia tried to get him into a "better outfit" or take him shopping.

But that was actually why Stiles liked him. They had math together, and Y/n made jokes under his breath and talked about how stupid it all was, and then leaned over and gave him pointers and help with the work in a way he could actually understand. He never ran out of patience and didn't find Stiles' burst of energy or hard time focusing or burn out annoying. He encouraged Stiles and hyped him up and when he did a good job and Y/n was leaning over his shoulder grinning at him, whispering compliments to him and joking about having to reward him one of these days, Stiles couldn't help but think that all he wanted in that moment was to kiss him.

Lydia picked up on it too fast. She was at first a little hesitant, making Stiles promise this wasn't about her, because her brother deserved better than being a replacement, but Stiles promised that wasn't it. And he proved it too, even if the pining looked the same. He talked to Y/n and became friends with him and fought against werewolves and other big-bads, and they bonded over being the only two just-humans on the team, but Stiles never reached out to him to tell him how he felt. Stiles didn't want anything from Y/n that he didn't want to offer; which was sweet except Lydia wanted to see her best friend and her brother happy.

So what was she to do except play match maker?

Her butting in was helping, too. Y/n was telling her all the time now about how he liked Stiles, how well they got along, all the stuff they were doing together. About his eyes and his smile and his laugh and how brave he was. About how they made so many plans together and learned to trust each other. About how nice his voice was, and how they studied together and often fell asleep late into the night and woke up next to each other.

And yet... it took Y/n almost dying for either of them to do anything about it.

It was a shit storm like all the others they had to live through. A battle, injuries all around, and Stiles and Y/n trying to find each other because this time they'd gotten separated. It was never good when those two got separated, they were both idiots.

Something that showed more than ever when Y/n rushed into the room, saw Stiles being cornered by a werewolf, and screamed at the top of his lungs. It was a faceless beast at this point, mind controlled by a spell that a witch had cast. She was making their lives hell, and this was only the most recent of poor bastards that had been mind controlled and sent their way. The only way to break the spell was to find the object that mattered to them most and destroy it. This worked because the witch had to cast the spell on such an object, and destroying it broke the spell. But she was aware of this, so she often sent her subjects after whoever found or had the object at the moment.

And right now, that person was Y/n.

So the werewolf turned, getting on all fours and shooting after the teenager, who's eyes went wide as he turned sharply and began barreling down the hallway as quickly as he could. It was a ploy to save Stiles' life, and it was a good one, but it couldn't last forever. The werewolf swiped at him, sending him flying one way and the thing he was carrying flying the other way. Derek arrived that moment, having been tied up before, and managed to fight the creature off while Stiles scrambled onto the scene and burned the object.

It was over.

But the damage had been done.

The pack brought them to Deaton, who immediately launched into stitching the poor boy up and lathering something on him to fight infection and help him heal faster. Then they were all left to simply wait and hope Y/n would wake up. He still had a heartbeat, but shock had hit his system and he still might not make it. A lot of blood lost, a really bad concussion...

Stiles of course never left Y/n's side. Y/n woke up to the boy asleep on his little make shift hospital bed, head on Y/n's leg, holding his hand. Y/n smiled, exhausted and sore and feeling like shit, but unable to deny that Stiles still looked adorable when he was asleep. Y/n ran his hand through Stiles' hair and the boy jolted up. "Oh." He blinked sleep out of his eyes, rubbing his face and shaking his head to clear it. "Hey."

Y/n laughed. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Y/n joked. His voice croaked from disuse and he flinched. "Jesus I sound like I died."

Stiles' smile withered. "You almost did."

There was silence at that. They couldn't meet each others' eyes, couldn't pass that stiffness and awkwardness. Neither of the boys were good with silence and always tried to scramble to crack jokes or entertain or cheer up, but Stiles' bluntness had shattered that. And it was kind of nice. Vulnerable.

"Stiles," Y/n began. "I... liked you." He sighed, shoulders dropping. "Like, really really like you. And I know it might ruin everything, and I don't want you to say you like me back because I almost died. I don't even need you to say anything right now, just, know I like you. And everyone knows you've always liked my sister but-"

At that, Stiles broke. He caught Y/n's face between his hand and pulled him into a kiss. They both sighed, smiling into it, and all the unspoken things seemed to be understood without any of the words needing to be said. They often communicated like this, with just an understanding, and no need for specifics or long rants. Leaning their foreheads together, Stiles still did say one thing. "I like you too." They both laughed, and all the tension melted away from both of them.

"Maybe next time you two need to talk about your feelings, one of you doesn't need to die for it?" Lydia sassed from the doorway. The boys parted, blushing, as she tackled her brother in a hug. But all of them laughed, and for now all of them were okay, and that... that could be enough. After all, they still had a witch to kill.

-

Male Readers: @ravenpuff-oli @sortzz @fadedver

#male reader #teen wolf #stiles Stilinski #Dylan O’Brien #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf x male reader #teen wolf imagine #stiles Stilinski x reader #stiles Stilinski x male reader #stiles Stilinski imagine #Dylan O’Brien imagine #Dylan O’Brien x reader #Dylan O’Brien x male reader

[bedsyandco]

𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄

🫧 — {fem!bsf!reader x dad!brock boeser}

🫧 — my first time writing for brock!! I hope you like it, as always feedback is appreciated !!

🫧 — in which your Brock’s best friend and the lines are blurry because you act like more both to him and his son.

🫧 — content: sfw, a little person, fluff

🫧 — wc: 2.35K

You were staring out the window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass of your coffee shop. The place was buzzing with people only minutes earlier, everyone wanting a hot drink to shield them from the stretch of bad weather that impacted the city these last few days, although that’s quite normal this time of the year. The buzz had died down and you were grateful since you just cleaned the floor, and didn’t look forward to having to do it again if someone else entered through the door with their wet shoes, the welcome mat at the entrance seeming to not do its job very effectively.

Your attention quickly shifted when you heard your phone ring and grabbed it out of your back pocket, heart beating a little faster when you saw who was calling.

“Vancouver Academy Preschool”

You had spent hours teasing Brock about how uptight this school sounded. It was preschool for crying out loud, and both you and Brock went to public school and turned out just fine, but he wasn’t budging. Only the very best for his boy. You didn’t feel a single trace of amusement seeing the name now though, only anxious as to why they could be calling.

“Good Afternoon, is this Brooks’ mom, YN speaking?” a woman's voice echoes over the speaker.

“Uh- that’s me but I’m not-”

“Oh thank goodness, we weren’t able to get in contact with his father, I’m glad I could at least reach one of his parents.” she continues, interrupting you before you could correct her that you weren’t Brooks’ mom. Brock was still at the rink, that’s probably why he wasn’t answering. “I’m Brooks’ teacher and I’m calling because there was an accident at school today and we were wondering if you would be able to come pick Brooks up from school?”

Your throat constricts a little at what she's saying, not being able to comprehend the words Brooks and accident in one sentence. “An accident? What accident? Is he hurt?” you ask frantically, questions flying one after the other.

“He’s perfectly fine ma’am. He had a little fall and bumped his head. There was a little scratch but we had our school nurse clean it up and check him out, but we thought since there were only a few hours left of school anyway and he seemed a bit upset, it may be better if he just went home for the day.”

Your eyes flickered to the clock on the wall, seeing that it was only noon. You had another four hours to work at most, but you also knew that Brock probably wasn’t going to see the school’s messages before then and you couldn’t leave Brooks at school until then. The thought of him hurt and upset was enough to make you remove the apron from your waist and say, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

“Sounds serious,” you hear from your left seeing Lydia, one of your waitresses standing there.

“It was Brooks’ school. I need to go pick him up. I know it was your day to leave early but do you think you can stay until closing time? If you really can’t we’ll just close up early today,” you ramble, moving to grab your coat and searching for your keys.

“Of course, don’t even worry about it, I’ll close up.” she says

“I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t even try to apologise. You do what you need to for your kids, I get that.” and she did. Having two kids of her own.

“I know but he’s not even really mine. Not biologically at least. It’s not the same and I know this was your Friday to leave early,” you say remorsefully.

“Stop that. He’s yours in every way that matters. If I’ve ever seen anyone be a mom to that little boy, it’s you.” she says and your eyes sting a little and you have to blink up at the ceiling for a minute to stop them from falling.

“Thank you. I owe you one, I’ll see you Monday?” you ask and make your way out the door when she nods.

How you ended up in this situation, you honestly had no idea. It hadn’t been your intention to end up having your name registered as a parental contact. But you did feel an immense sense of warmth that Brock trusted you enough to do it.

Brock had been your friend for many years, and when Brooks came into the world, he only brought you closer. You would have never wished for Brooks’ mom to abandon him and Brock, and you would forever hold resentment in your heart for her because of that, but it did create a hole in their lives that you had somehow filled.

When you pull into the parking lot at Brooks’ school, you clench the steering wheel tightly and let out a big breath, releasing all the confusing thoughts about your role in Brooks’ life and the confusing relationship you had with his father. One day maybe you’d address those thoughts, but today isn’t that day.

You step out of the car, pulling your coat tighter around you to shield from the cold and take a little jog up to the front entrance. The receptionist immediately glanced up when you entered and sent you a quick smile.

“Hi I’m here to pick up Brooks Boeser,” you say and her eyes widened significantly, looking a lot more interested when she heard that last name and called through to the classroom. That almost would have been amusing had you not been preoccupied by your nerves about Brooks. You knew Brock paid a lot of big donations and checks that ensured him and Brooks were treated well here, and it looked like that treatment extended to you.

A door buzzes open and through comes Brooks, his hands tightly clasped on the straps of his backpack, his feet shuffling against the ground.

His eyes were red, cheeks flushed, a little bandaid on his forehead where you assumed the little scratch was. As he neared you his eyes teared up and the bottom lip started to wobble.

“Yn!” he yells, picking up his pace when he sees you and tripping into your legs, wrapping his arms around them.

“Oh my little love, did you get hurt?” You ask bending down and pushing his hair away from his forehead and gently running your fingers over the bandaid, as he nods.

“What exactly happened?” you ask his teacher who was only standing a few feet away observing the interaction.

“Brooks was playing outside with a friend and when he came back inside his shoes were wet and he ran, slipped and fell. He hit his head against a table and there’s a little scrape but as I said on the phone our nurse checked him out and he seems to be just fine. I can contact the nurse to talk with you if you’d like” the teacher says 

“That won’t be necessary, I trust that everything was handled as it should be,” you say in a tone suggesting that anything else would be ridiculous since Brock spends so much money on this school.

“Brooks was so excited when he found out his mom was coming to get him,” his teacher redirects the conversation and you smile tightly at her, that word causing your throat to squeeze tightly.

You squeeze Brooks tightly, the little boy still clinging to you as if his life depended on it. You pick him up, throwing his bag over your shoulder and making your way to the door when the teacher holds it open for you.

“Thank you,” you say politely and she smiles back at you.

“Have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Monday Brooks,” she says as you make your way to your car.

When Brooks is tightly secured in his car seat and you’ve let the car warm up a bit, you make your way to the arena.

“Wanna go visit daddy at work?” you ask Brooks, reaching back and squeezing his foot when you reach a red light.

“Yes!” he yells and you smile at his excitement.

“He’ll be happy to see you,” you say, focusing your attention back on the road.

“Happy to see you too,” Brooks replies and you glance at him in the mirror seeing a teasing little smile on that face.

“You think so?” you ask and he nods

“Uncle Petey told dad he’s happiest when he sees you,” Brooks says matter of factly

“Have you been listening to your dad’s conversations again?” you ask and he smiles guiltily

“No. They thought I was sleeping,” he admits softly and you smile, shaking your head at him. He’s sneaky. 

“Do you love my daddy?” Brooks asks and you swallow thickly thinking about it for a second. You knew Brooks was going to be asking about your friendship with his dad sooner or later, you’d just hoped it was later and that Brock was the one being asked.

You didn’t know how to say it without giving Brooks the wrong idea, and you definitely didn’t need him running back to his dad and telling him about your feelings for him. You weren’t entirely sure Brock was over what happened with Brooks’ mom. You didn’t think he was in love with her, but the way she just left and abandoned both of them still had an effect on Brock. He still hadn’t gone back to dating even after all these years. 

“Of course I love your dad. He’s my best friend in the whole world.” you tell him and he smiles happily.

“Do you think my dad is pretty?” Brooks asks curiously 

“He’s very pretty, just like you,” you say to Brock’s mini-me.

“My dad thinks you’re pretty too. He told uncle Quinny while you were making noodles,” Brooks says, referring to a few days ago when you cooked pasta for Brock and a few guys at his place.

“Are you two going to get married?” Brooks asks and you nearly swerve off the road.

“What made you have that idea?” you ask more calmly than you feel

“A girl in my class said that if two people love each other and think they’re pretty, they get married,” Brooks explains

“It’s a bit more complicated than that bud,” you say gently, relieved as you finally pull up to the arena.

You walk into the arena, Brooks’ hand clasped tightly in yours and wait in a little room you were directed to while someone called for Brock. You were sitting on a couch, Brooks cuddled up in your lap when Brock finally entered the room, closing the door behind him. Brock observed the two of you for a second, a strange emotion clouding his face. 

“Dad! Look, I have a scratch on my head!” he says as you stand up and walk towards Brock, Brooks still on your hip. 

Brock’s panicked eyes find yours before brushing Brooks’ hair away so he could inspect the little scratch more carefully, his other hand falls to your waist, pulling both of you close.

“He had a little fall, scraped his head, he’s okay. I took care of it,” you reassure him, and Brock’s shoulders relax a little bit.

Brock nods, pressing a kiss to Brooks’ forehead before moving to kiss your cheek, and your breath hitches at the intimate gesture. Brock had always been affectionate but lately he’s been doing a lot more often and openly. 

“I’m gonna go grab my stuff, I’ll be back in a sec. Do you need anything?” Brock asks, his hand caressing the skin at your waist lightly.

“No, we’re fine. Go finish up,” you say and he smiles, giving you both a peck again before leaving the room again. 

Later that day when you’ve got Brooks passed out in his bed, Brock joins you in the living room taking a seat on the couch, sitting as close to you as he can without actually touching you.

Brock leans his head back, letting out a trembling breath. 

“He’s okay Brock. It’s just a little scratch. You know that if I suspected he wasn’t okay I would’ve taken him to-”

“I know. It’s just that you shouldn’t have to. It’s my job to take care of him and I wasn’t there.” Brock says and you sigh, moving even close to him.

“Look at me,” you insist softly, and he does, his gaze so incredibly soft and fond it makes your heart feel like it’s going to burst.

“You’re a great dad Brock. You love that little boy so much, and he knows it. You’re doing the best that you can and it’s okay to ask for help sometimes.” you say and his hand falls to your upper thigh, caressing it softly.

“It’s not fair to you,” he argues

“I love that little guy and there’s nothing I love more than taking care of him. Of both of you.” you say and Brock looks at you for a moment.

“I love you,” he confesses and you can feel a ball forming in your throat.

“I love you too,” you reply and Brock shakes his head.

“No, I love you. I’m in love with you. I always have been” 

“Brock-”

“I can never bring myself to regret being with Brooks’ mom. You weren’t available back then and I was convinced you never would be, but somehow your ex managed to mess it up and you were single and I was so happy because I was finally gonna get my shot. And then Brooks happened and I love that kid to death, so I could never ever regret it, but it’s always been you.” he says softly, framing your face with both hands and kissing you softly. 

“This family isn’t complete without you. I hope you know that.” Brock says, gently caressing your face when he pulls away. 

“Will you stay the night?” he asks and you smile.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” you answer, and a few weeks later all your things were in that house, knowing you were never leaving again. 

#brock boeser fic #brock boeser x reader #brock boeser imagine #brock boeser x yn

[rqg179]

thinkin about lydia barkrock again i just. she's incredibly important to me both as someone who has chronic pain myself & as someone who grew up with a disabled parent. my mother was diagnosed when i was a toddler, so i don't remember a version of my mum who isn't disabled to some extent, it's just always been a fact of my life. and sure, there are certain things she can't do, and that list has probably gotten longer over the last few years, but she's still my mum, and she raised me, and she did a damn good job of it too. and idk i just. for the most part it's easy to find families that look like mine in fiction, but i'm not sure i've ever seen the medical side of my family in fiction in a way that feels as close to home as lydia & ragh's relationship does. it's just very lovely to see a disabled character who a) is a well-rounded character in and of herself, and b) is a parent, and is explicitly shown to be a good parent to her son

#idk that this is coherent At All i just am emotional about lydia barkrock #like my mum isn't a wheelchair user but she does use various mobility aids #and i just. idk man a lot of ragh & lydia's story feels very familiar to me in a way that's very comforting #ragh's obvious anxiety every time something happens with the gem is incredibly familiar #just the like. casual acknowledgement of what life is like both for the disabled person and for their loved ones #i can see myself in both sides of that story and it's very comforting #anway. #my post #d20 #fantasy high #fhjy #lydia barkrock

[dragon-chica]

Creep Alert - Teen Wolf Preference

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Because someone has made me very uncomfortable at weekly pinball and I would like to take Theo.

Stiles: Okay he's not always the most observant person around, he will be talking to himself trying to figure something out or keep walking not realizing someone else has come up and gone all up in your space. When he turns about and you are visibly uncomfortable he RUNS back, trip/sliding between you and the guy pushing his hand off. Might have yelled "CREEP ALERT" on his way over, mile a minute talking asking if you're okay, did they do anything? name drops that he is the son of the sheriff and can get that guy written up for harassment. "Do you want to file a report on him? I'll call dad right now. Don't you go anywhere, we're not done here- PARRISH!" Spots a squad car and shouts over (it was not Parrish) and it becomes mess. But it certainly did the job.

Scott: Good of heart, dumb of ass. Despite his wolf instinct telling him to destroy the threat, he comes over the moment your scent turns distressed. He comes up right next to you with a comforting hand on your arm and inserts himself into the conversation. Genuinely not realizing this guy's intentions or what's going on besides you're uncomfortable and asks what's going on. Usually he's enough to diffuse the situation, but if someone's persistent he'll instead have you both leave.

Lydia: Has been in this kind of scenario too many times that she sees it coming across the room before anyone talks to you. She's learned exactly how to handle herself, either sweetly or with words that cut. Or if she had a 'big, strong, man' to handle it for her. Lydia's at your side immediately, telling them you're not interested and how far she'll shove her heel up their ass.

Liam: Sure, mess with the S/O of the werewolf kid with IED, that's a good idea. He doesn't usually stray far from your side but a few steps away was enough for someone to take his spot and feel a little too comfortable getting in your space and questioning you. His gaze shoots to you as discomfort sours your scent. He speeds over, eyes flashing gold and getting right in their face with you behind him. Not afraid to get physical if they want to keep it up.

Also if it's Brett coming to flirt with you, either because he's a slut or just to try and piss Liam off and you really are uncomfortable with his advances, all bets are off. Claws are out and he wants blood, it's a whole scene.

Isaac: At first it's a little harder for Isaac to come to your rescue, even though he's a werewolf now he's not used to the kind of confidence of doing something like this. You were always the one to try and protect him, and never faulted him when he didn't come to your defense, just trying to make sure you were okay after.

But now he's a werewolf, he can do better. He stronger. Intimidating. Despite everything, he still had to psych himself up walking over to you, who is obviously uncomfortable. He's not sure how to insert himself, but he is quite noticeable and doesn't have to do much. Being so much taller (and chest puffed) than your pest, they take the smart move to leave. Visibly deflate and swallows after that interaction and asks if you're okay. Gets bashful when you call him your knight.

Malia: No filter and very brash. People have thought of messing with her but the energy she gives off and feral look in her eye is almost always enough to deter them first. You though, are not so lucky. Already very standoffish, once she sense someone is making you uncomfortable she is staring them down and growling, barely keeping her claws in even as they leave.

Derek: He normally is overprotective of you, usually you just roll your eyes at his worries. But you certainly feel safe with a scowling sourwolf beside you. Until he's gone a few minutes too long and someone thinks that's their chance.

When he sees someone crowding in on you he's speeding right through the crowd and shoving them backwards hard enough to make them stumble and once they're thoroughly scared shitless by his hardened stare to flee, he's trying to get you to leave grumbling how "we never should have come here anyway."

#Teen Wolf x reader #Teen Wolf imagine #Stiles Stilinski x reader #Lydia Martin x reader #Isaac Lahey x reader #Liam Dunbar x reader #Derek Hale x reader #Malia Tate x reader #Scott McCall x reader #my stuff

[samdeancass]

Love at First Sight

Pairing: Stiles x McCall!fem!reader

Genre: Fluff

Characters: Scott, Stiles, Y/N

Description: Y/N and Scott are cousins and haven't seen each other for 5 years when you left Beacon Hills. When she arrives back, Scott throws a party for her and introduces her to Stiles, who seems very happy to meet her.

You smiled widely as you pulled up outside Scott's house, excitement building up inside. Scott is your favourite cousin and the one that you're most close to, so you couldn't wait to knock on his front door and surprise him. Being so close to Scott you knew all about the supernatural world and the fact that he was an alpha werewolf, so you knew that there would be no surprises coming your way, or so you thought.

You walked up the path to his house and knocked on the door, leaning on your heels as you waited. Your smile grew and grew as you heard Scott's voice and the jangle of the keys in the lock. He stood there in both shock and happiness when he swung the door open and seen you standing there.

"Y/N? What the hell are you doing here?" Scott opened his arms and engulfed you to his chest, nearly squeezing the life out of you. "Scott...can't...breathe." "Ooo sorry, I tend to forget my strength sometimes." You chuckled and took a look at Scott, closing the door behind you.

He really had changed since the last time you seen him. There was a lot more muscle on his body and he seemed to have grown quite a few inches. "I see the werewolf life is treating you well then." You gestured up and down whilst Scott chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I guess I've changed a lot since you last seen me. How long's it been?" "Five years." Scott's mouth hung open. "No, it can't have been that long. Seriously." You nodded your head and smiled. "Yep, seriously."

You both walked towards the sofa and sat down. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" "Well, my dad has changed jobs again so we needed to move house. It turns out, he's going to be working just outside Beacon Hills! You'll be seeing a whole lot more of me because this time, we're staying!"

A beaming smile spread across Scott's features. "I've just had the perfect idea. Seems you're now back permanently, you're going to need some familiar faces so I'm going to throw you a party. A welcome back party."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "I'm not too sure, Scott. What if they don't like me?" He put his hand on your shoulder and gave you a comforting smile. "Trust me, they are going to love you."

____________

Scott had given you the low down of all the people who are going to be at the party.

"So, Lydia is a banshee. What exactly is that again?" You smoothed down your dress and put on the finished touches to your make-up. "Lydia can sense when someone has died or is near death. Her scream is also very powerful and can throw people back a good few feet."

You nodded your head. "Derek, Liam and Malia are all werewolves?" He nodded. "Malia is a were-coyote. Her mom is a coyote, her dad is a werewolf. Liam is my beta, I turned him accidentally when I was trying to save him. Derek is a strong werewolf, one of the most powerful I've seen."

"Kira is a kitsune? A fire fox?" You put some hairspray in your hair and turned round to Scott. "And she is also my girlfriend." You widened your eyes and smacked him on the shoulder. "Scott McCall, why on earth did you not tell me you have a girlfriend?" His cheeks grew red with embarrassment. "I...I" You laughed and ruffled his hair. "I'm only kidding. But please tell me you know at least one human that isn't me?"

At that, Scott's smile grew wide and cunning. "My best friend, Stiles. He's the smartest person I know but he's also very sarcastic." "It sounds like I'm really going to like him." A soft smile grew on your face before you turned back towards the mirror for one last check.

"C'mon, Y/N. We can't have you being late to your own party." Scott grabbed your hand and led you out the door and down the stairs to meet everyone.

____________

Everyone you had met were extremely nice to you and welcomed you into the pack. Lydia, Kira and Malia were all very happy that they were no longer outnumbered by the boys. Derek was very welcoming to you which Scott said was a complete surprise because he usually just growls at people and walks away.

"And this is Stiles. Stiles, meet Y/N. Y/N meet Stiles." Stiles turned around to greet you when your eyes met. You were completely mesmerised by his chocolate brown eyes and the cute little freckles scattered across his face. Stiles' mouth hang agape as his eyes gazed over your features. Seeing the reaction you both had to each other, Scott smiled to himself and slowly walked away to watch his plan hatch.

"H-hi, I-i'm Stiles." He kept his gaze on you which made you blush. "I'm Y/N, Scott's cousin." You both stood there for a while just staring at each other. "I'm sorry, I don't know how someone as beautiful as you can be related to Scott. I mean, he's a dog."

"Hey! Just because I'm not standing next to you doesn't mean I can't hear what you're saying!" You laughed at the joke, nervously tucking your hair behind your ears. "You are right, though. He is a dog." "Thanks a lot, Stilinski."

"Anytime, pal." He winked at Scott before turning his attention back to you. "So, Scott's told me a little about you and I have to say, I'm very intrigued." You both began to walk together towards the back yard to try and grab some privacy.

"You're intrigued by me? A human? You literally live in a town full of supernatural creatures and you're interested in my life?" You both sat down facing each other on a bench, your arms leaning on the table. "Well, I don't have a normal human life. I'm always dragged into Scott's werewolf drama. I wanna know how the other half live."

You told Stiles all about your life and the different things you had accomplished. Throughout the conversation, Stiles didn't once take his eyes off you; always keeping his attention on you.

You both sat in a comfortable silence just staring at each other until you both slowly leaned over the table and kissed. It was new and exciting and sweet. Excitement and electricity run through your nerves as you kept the connection, Stiles' hand resting against your cheek.

Your hand rested on top of his as you leaned into his warmth, a warm blush spreading across your cheeks. Stiles smiled at you, completely content, until the moment was ruined by wolf whistles and squeals coming from the back door of the house, or more rightly Scott.

"My plan worked! I knew you two would hit it off." Scott smiled confidently at the both of you. You both shook your heads at him. "Can we not have, like, five minutes privacy please?" Lydia pulled Scott back into the house and closed the door but not before giving him a thump for good measure.

"So, where were we?" Stiles leaned over the table again and pressed his lips to yours, this time more passionately. "I think we were getting up to the part where we make out, a lot." Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and pulled you over the table and into his lap causing you to laugh and slap his chest.

From that moment, you guys were inseparable and it was all thanks to Scott who you both knew would never let you forget it.

Teen Wolf Tags:

@bxoken-heartss @hellomyweirdos @redcoatgirl

#stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski x reader #stiles stilinski imagine #stiles stilinski fanfiction #stiles stilinski fluff #scott mccall #teen wolf #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf imagine #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf fluff

[mrsstruggle]

The Lost Child - Epilogue // Teen Wolf x Marvel AU

Summary: Y/N Stark was taken from her family when she was three years old. It's fifteen years later and her family believes she is dead. Then how is she living in Beacon Hills?

Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Injury/Grief/Torture, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else)

Pairings: Derek Hale x Reader, Steve Rodgers x Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Vision x Wanda Maximoff

Previous Pairings: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, Scott McCall x Allison Argent

Words: 5.8k

Note: There is only an epilogue left and that should be posted tomorrow!

Additional Note: While this is a Teen Wolf x Marvel AU, not everything is true to the shows/movies/comics. I had to change things for the story.

One Last Note: Y/N was adopted by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. I did this so more people can see themselves in this story.

***I do not own Teen Wolf or Marvel or any related characters. This is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only.***

Masterlist

The Lost Child Masterlist

Previous Chapter

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One Year Later

Y/N hums to the song playing in her car as she drives up to the newly renovated Hale house—technically it's Derek's and her house, but she likes just calling the Hale house. Derek planned on renovating the house himself with a few of the other pack members but he ended up renovating with pack members and the Avengers.

Tony wanted to use his money to pay a team to renovate the house as quickly as possible, but Derek wanted to be a part of the renovation considering it was his house. He also didn't feel comfortable with Tony paying for everything. They ended up compromising by letting Tony pay for half but they had to renovate it themselves.

Derek was surprised the first day Tony showed up with a few more Avengers in tow. He couldn't say he was very pleased seeing them either. He was hoping to renovate the house in peace with the occasional forced conversation between himself and Tony or ordering the pack to do a few things. He was even more surprised when he didn't hate them being there. It was a pretty good way to get to know Y/N's other family.

It was also a good way for Y/N to get to know her Avengers family. Although Tony built another Avenger's headquarters just outside of Beacon Hills to be closer to her, she still had a job she had to go to and they weren't her only family. Tony offered her jobs with the Avengers multiple times but she turned them down every time. He even offered her a position to be a part of the Avengers but she wanted to work on controlling her powers before she potentially used them to save people from aliens or whatever else they fight.

Three times a week Y/N would drive up to the house to help out—well, her version of helping out. She let Derek and Tony handle all electrical and plumbing details while she sat to the side and talked about her day or gossiped about people from work. She also helped Steve, Bucky, and Sam make a few furniture pieces by watching them do all the hard work and then adding any details she wanted on them, such as paint or accessories.

Pack members would also come by to help tear things down or build things up. None of them knew what they were doing but Derek would teach them and everything turned out okay. Stiles was like Y/N and didn't do much to help but he would be there. He and Peter grew closer as Y/N's brothers and found out they actually have a lot in common. It took them a few weeks, but they eventually stopped being passive-aggressive to each other and became friends—but they still bicker like an old married couple.

Once rooms were built, she, Lydia, Kira, Wanda, and Nat would paint the rooms and go out and buy things for them. They've definitely come back from a shopping trip or two with too many things but Derek can't complain when he sees how happy Y/N is.

He also can't complain when his business is thriving so money is not an issue. It wasn't an issue before—thanks to the money he inherited from his family—but now he doesn't think it will ever be an issue. Since he's dating 'the Y/N Stark,' people like to drive out of their way just to bring their cars to Hale Garage in hopes of possibly meeting him or getting a glimpse of Y/N.

He also started restoring old cars and motorcycles and selling them. It started with a few motorcycles someone abandoned in front of the garage and now he's selling vintage cars in big shows all over the state.

He has also somehow gotten a little fandom of his own. He has no idea how because he doesn't have any social media nor does he willingly put himself in the public eye. He can always tell if someone specifically requests for him at the garage if they're doing it because of his relationship with Y/N or if it's just because of him.

If it's because of him, there is typically a nervous client, possible flirting, and giddy giggles and conversations with their friends when they think he can't hear them. Someone even asked him out once but he shot that down very quickly. That client won't be coming back anytime soon—especially since Malia overheard the whole thing and started laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair.

On days that Y/N wasn't at the Hale house, she liked to spend her time with her other dad—the sheriff. She knows he wishes he could've also contributed to the rebuilding of the house. He just didn't have the means financially nor the time to help. On top of his regular sheriff duties, there was a lot of paperwork and stress that came after the big fight against Kate and the Hunters.

On nights that he worked late, she'd bring him dinner and talk about their days. On nights he wasn't working, he'd go by the loft to have dinner with her, Derek, and Stiles. Tony and Peter would sometimes join but they didn't want to intrude too much. Tony could tell that he made the sheriff a bit uncomfortable due to who he was but he never said anything to him. They got along but they weren't going to be best friends any time soon.

She's spoken to some of the other Avengers, like Clint and Thor, but she doesn't see them very much. She's only met Clint a handful of times because he likes to keep to himself on his farm. The most time she's spent with him was when she and Derek stayed at his farm for a weekend as a little get-to-know-you thing. They had a lot of fun, and they text now and then, but it's nothing too serious.

She also doesn't see Thor much since he spends most of his time on Asgard—she's also pretty sure he avoids her as much as possible. He still blames himself for the night she was 'taken' by Hydra even though she has told him multiple times that it's not his fault—Pepper would've still done what she did whether he took her to bed or not.

As Y/N drives past the new gates at the front of the property, she can see several cars parked outside of the Hale House. She smiles a bit to herself as she realizes what's going on. Pulling in front of the house and getting out of the car, she can hear people on the other side of the house. Walking through the house and to the backyard, she steps back outside to all of her friends and family setting up tables and birthday decorations.

"Spiderboy, lift the right side of the banner a bit while you're up there! It's a bit unev–hey! Happy Birthday!" Stiles awkwardly shouts as he notices her. Everyone turns to Stiles before shouting 'Happy birthday' at the sight of Y/N standing near the backdoor.

"Why are you home so early?" Derek asks, walking up to Y/N and trying to block her from looking at the scene behind him.

"I'm happy to see you too, babe," Y/N playfully rolls her eyes before giving Derek a quick peck on the lips. "My boss let me leave early since it's my birthday. Well, second birthday, but she understood."

"I still don't understand why you didn't just take the day off."

"That's because I used up my vacation days putting in time off for our little vacation in about a week. I'd much rather take time off to spend two weeks naked on the private island we're going to then have a few free hours this morning." She can hear some of the people behind Derek pretending to gag letting her know that they're listening in on their conversation.

She squeals and laughs as Derek bends down and throws her over his shoulder. Walking into the house, Derek lightly slaps her ass as he walks her up to their bedroom. Entering their shared bedroom, he throws her onto the bed before hovering over her and staring lovingly into her eyes.

"Why are you throwing me another birthday party? You already threw me one on my April birthday." Y/N questions. Not only did she gain another family, but she also gained another birthday. She has the birthday she celebrates which marks the day she arrived at the Stilinskis and now the birthday she was with the Avengers.

"I'm not the one who planned this. This is all on Tony. I also think this might be more for them than it is for you since it's the first time they get to celebrate today with you." Derek says. The only thing Derek did was reel Tony in. Tony wanted to throw a massive party and invite as many people as possible but he knew that would be way too much for Y/N. He knew she'd like something at home with her friends and family. "Now, I need you to change out of your work clothes and I'm going to go back downstairs and see why in a group of superhumans and wolves, no one heard you get here."

"You didn't hear me either," She teases.

"That's because I was trying to be a good son-in-law and listen to your dad tell me about a new case he's working on. He wanted my advice."

"Son-in-law?"

"Mhm, now get dressed and try to act surprised when you come back downstairs," He leans down to press a kiss on her cheek before standing and walking toward their bedroom door.

"I'll try!" She yells as he walks out of the room.

Y/N gets up from the bed and walks to her closet. Stripping out of her work clothes, she changes into something a little nicer. Walking out of the closet, she touches up her hair and makeup before walking downstairs toward the party.

Opening the backdoor, her family and friends all turn to her and yell, "Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my god! I had no idea!" She feigns shock.

"Shut up," Lydia rolls her eyes before pulling Y/N into a hug. "Happy Birthday and make sure to open my present first."

One by one Y/N goes around greeting everyone and thanking them for the party. She's not sure whose idea it was but she'll ask Derek after everyone leaves.

"Nice to see you two again. What has it been? A week?" Y/N teases, walking up to Steve and Bucky.

"A week too long," Bucky teases back, pulling her into a hug.

"And you leave in a week too," Steve says, pulling her out of Bucky's arms and into his own.

"Yes, well then we'll have to have another game night before we leave," She smiles up at him. After they got to know each other a bit while working on the house, she and Derek would invite Steve and Bucky over once a week for a game night. Sometimes they don't even play games, sometimes they'll just work on a puzzle and talk.

It's helped her a lot speaking to someone who has also had personal experience with Hydra. While she can't remember every single thing that happened to her there, she sometimes gets dreams—no, nightmares—that seem more like memories.

It's also helped her become a lot closer to them, as well as them becoming closer to Derek. She knows that they sometimes meet up with some of the other wolves to go for runs through the forest. They've even been to a few car shows with him.

"We're holding you to that," Bucky says.

"Well, Uncle Bucky, Uncle Steve, thank you for being here but I've got more people to go around and thank so I will talk with you some more later," Steve and Bucky's smiles get impossibly wider at her calling them her uncles. It's something that started two months ago and they get happier every time she says it.

Walking over to Scott and Liam, she pulls them both into a tight group hug, "Thank you both for being here. I'm sure you have better things to do with your day."

"Not really," Liam groans, pushing Y/N away from him.

"Do you really think Stiles would let us not be here?" Scott asks, pulling away from Y/N.

"I feel so loved," Y/N pushes Scott in a teasing manner. "Now I'm going to talk to some more people and if I look over here that means I need you to rescue me."

She pats them both on the back before moving over to Natasha, Wanda, Bruce, and Sam.

"Happy birthday future falcon," Sam says, pulling Y/N into a hug.

"Future falcon?"

"Yeah, we just need to get you a pair of wings and you can be just like your favorite uncle!"

"I don't think getting me a pair of wings will make me just like Bucky," Y/N teases, smirking at the look of shock on Sam's face.

"You take that back."

"I'm going to pretend that you just said my name instead," Bruce says.

"Even if you were her favorite uncle, why would she want to be like you when she could be like her favorite aunt?" Natasha smirks, pointing to herself.

"And you think that's you?" Wanda asks.

"Who else would it be?"

The smile on Y/N's face never leaves as she watches them bicker back and forth about who's her favorite aunt and uncle. Honestly, she doesn't have a favorite. She's definitely closer to some than others but she could never tell you who she'd consider her favorite.

Natasha has been teaching her some more hand-to-hand combat as well as how to use a gun. She can't say that using a gun is her favorite thing to do—especially since she's been shot several times by them—but it's nice to know if she ever needs to use one as a last resort.

Wanda has been helping her learn how to control her powers—even though Wanda isn't in the most control either. She's also been working with Stiles to awaken the magic within him. He can't do a lot just yet but Wanda thinks he could be really powerful one day.

With Sam, he helped a lot with the renovations and he likes to bring Y/N lunch at work at least twice a week—he even brings Melissa lunch from time to time. He will bring her lunch and they'll talk about what's going on in their lives or get into heated debates about their favorite shows. They once spent her entire lunch arguing about who's the better Winchester brother.

Y/N's probably the least close to Bruce—he's actually closer to Lydia than her. The work that he does really fascinates Lydia and she ended up getting an internship with the Avengers to work with him. Y/N will sometimes tag along when they are working on things outside of things for the Avengers, like hospitals. She doesn't understand everything like they do but it's nice to at least spend time with them.

"Right Y/N?" Sam's voice pulls her out of her head.

"Um...right?" Y/N looks between them with a confused look on her face.

"Were you even listening?" Natasha asks.

"Um, what's that? I think someone's calling for me." Y/N turns around and quickly walks away from them before they can say anything.

"Y/N, will you tell Stiles that there is no such thing as mermaids?!" Y/N looks over to where Peter is calling for her. He's standing next to Stiles while Derek is sitting on a wooden table next to them with his feet propped up on a chair and an annoyed look on his face.

"Y/N, will you please tell Spideyboy here that mermaids exist?! If werewolves and aliens exist, then so do mermaids!" Stiles yells.

Y/N walks over to them and sits on the table next to Derek, "Why are we fighting about mermaids?"

"They started talking about vampires and somehow the conversation turned into this," Derek says.

"What do you think Derek? Mermaids, real or not?" Stiles asks, annoyed that Peter thinks he knows supernatural creatures better than him.

"Why don't you go to the ocean and find out?"

"Y/N?"

"I'd like to believe there are," Y/N says.

"Not you too," Peter groans.

"What? After watching H2O as a kid, my biggest dream was to become a mermaid. You're not a scary monster if you're a mermaid."

"Damn, now I feel bad for saying they don't exist."

"I don't think you're a scary monster," Derek nudges her with his shoulder.

"I don't think you're a scary monster either," Y/N smiles, leaning in to press a kiss on Derek's lips while Stiles and Peter groan in disgust at their affection. "So, where's the other Peter?"

"He's at the garage. He should be closing up soon."

Y/N looks around at the other people in the yard and sighs, "Okay, I guess I should go say hello to the others but I'll be right back."

"I'll be here waiting," Derek smiles at her as she gets up and walks away.

After saying hello and thank you to Kira, Mason, Thor, Clint, and Loki, she walks over to Melissa and the sheriff, "Are you two having fun?"

"So much fun," Melissa says, pulling Y/N into a hug.

"I'm surprised you were able to get the night off, Dad. I thought you had a big case you're working on?"

"I do, but it's your second birthday so I took the night off. They should be able to survive one night without me." Sheriff Stilinski says.

"I don't know. This is Beacon Hills so you never know." Y/N teases.

"Well, then let's hope they can at least last a few hours without me."

"Is Chris coming?" Y/N looks over at Melissa.

"He said he and Isaac were busy with something so they won't be making it," Melissa says.

"Good. We can finally get through one dinner without Scott and Isaac being completely oblivious to each other."

The sheriff snorts out a laugh at her comment, "Instead we just have to deal with you and Derek."

"You love Derek!" Y/N yells in defense.

"Yes, but I don't love watching him feel up my daughter."

Melissa looks at something past Y/N before looking back at her, "I think you have one more person you have yet to speak to."

Y/N looks over her shoulder to see Tony looking at her before quickly looking away when he notices her looking back at him.

"Go, we can talk more later," Sheriff Stilinski says.

"Okay," Y/N wraps her arms around the sheriff and hugs him tight, "I love you, Dad."

He hugs her back just as tight, "I love you too."

She unwraps her arms from around him and makes her way over to Tony who's sitting by himself at one of the tables, "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Tony pulls out the seat next to him for her to sit in. "Are you having fun?"

"I get two birthdays, of course, I'm having fun!"

"Good, I'm glad you don't mind us doing this."

"You're also my family and you celebrate my birthday today so we will also celebrate today," Y/N says, not noticing that the smile on Tony's face gets bigger when she calls him family. "Have you spoken to Morgan recently?"

After a few deep conversations with Tony, Y/N convinced him to try to mend his relationship with Morgan. He wasn't a very present father to her since he resented Pepper getting pregnant after Y/N was 'taken.'" Morgan isn't his biggest fan and was very close to her mother until the truth about her came out. Tony was quite shocked when she reached out to him and said she wanted to get to know him more—Y/N thinks she feels responsible for something that is not her fault nor was it ever.

Morgan hasn't spoken to Y/N yet, but Y/N's grateful that she hasn't. While Pepper is the only person to blame in the situation, there are a few thoughts in the very back of her mind that make her resent Morgan just a little. Y/N hates that those thoughts are there but it's natural for her to have those after everything Hydra put her through. She tries to tell herself that without Hydra, she wouldn't be where she is today, but she thinks it's stupid that she had to go through something so traumatizing just to end up where she is. If Pepper didn't want her, she could have adopted her out to the Stilinskis with no trauma necessary.

"Not recently, but while you're on vacation, Peter and I are going to go to New York and spend some time with her," Tony replies.

"Thank you for giving us the vacation by the way."

"You say that as if you don't thank me every time you see me."

"That's because I'm really grateful for it." Y/N smiles back at him.

Tony rolls his eyes at her, "Just make sure when you come back I'm not a grandpa."

"Trust me, that is not going to happen," Y/N laughs a little at the thought.

"Good. I'm way too young for that."

"Aren't you lik–"

"I'm too young!" Tony cuts her off quickly.

"Got it," Y/N laughs lightly at his antics. "Thank you for the birthday party...dad."

Tony can feel tears well up in his eyes hearing her call him dad for the first time since they've reunited, "Anything for you." He throws his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into a hug, "Happy birthday, Petal."

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Might right a bonus smut chapter...let me know what you think!

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@vicmc624 @mrspetxrs @freyathehuntress @fheresm @taketimeandappreciate @youralphawolf72 @shedsblood @ts1mp0ne @beautifulgrungekid @emily-roberts @itmejado @iv3t @james-bucky-barnes-bitch @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @darkenwolfie @inyourmomsworld @lokiandbuckywife @xx-narcissa @elite4cekalyma @thecrazytealady @ladyjenjay @misshale21 @cevans-winchester @fayhay14 @wtfcas @spencerreidsbookclub @hinata7346 @randomhoex @mirakeul @n1ght5h4d3-24 @pepelachanel @dark-night-sky-99 @missnyxsblog @xoxoloverb @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @kingshitonly @isnt-itstrange @twsssmlmaa @navs-bhat @zealouspostwitch @saahmi @distantsighs @jayxxace @a--1--1--3 @cutelittlepurplesouls @mermaid--dreamer-blog @maliagurl @kneelforloki @teenybean @small-town-wayward-daughter @labellapeaky @dabria14 @geeksareunique @emma-is-a-nerd @burn1ngw00d @esposadomd @natashamea18 @alexandralibbre @wonderland2425 @natashamea18

#teen wolf #tony stark x daughter!reader #teen wolf x reader #tony stark x reader #derek hale x stark!reader #derek hale x stilinski!reader #derek hale x reader #derek hale smut #marvel x reader #wanda maximoff x vision #marvel #steve rogers x bucky barnes #stiles stilinski #stucky #peter parker x reader #avengers x reader #bruce banner x natasha romanoff #peter parker x sister!reader #avengers au #avengers smut #stucky x reader #scott mccall #stilinski!reader #stark!daughter #stark!reader

[hesalleyes]

If you're a bit confused about Rusty Quill or what's been happening, hopefully this will be a handy guide.

Hello everyone, especially all newbies to the Rusty Quill family! I thought I'd talk a little bit about the company. There's a lot of information out there, some of which may be contradictory or difficult to find, and so I compiled it into what I think is a decent timeline. I've also included some of my thoughts on what Rusty Quill has been through, and where it's going.

(check the end for associated footnotes!)

A Brief And Mostly Objective Timeline For Rusty Quill Ltd.

Alexander J. Newall wanted to start a company for creatives. His father (presumably) laid down the starting capital and Rusty Quill was founded 29th June 2015. Alex owned 99% of the company, John Newall, 1%. (1)

Alex reached out to a bunch of his improv friends and asked if they would participate in an actual-play podcast. Alex hadn't seen a fully produced actual-play with sound effects and background music and he wanted to fill that niche in the market. James Ross, Bryn Monroe, and Lydia Nicholas all agreed. Tim Meredith was otherwise engaged, but said his brother Ben would be up for it. Rusty Quill Gaming (RQG) was born and started airing episodes in June 2015.

Meanwhile, besides running, editing, producing, directing, and mastering RQG, Alex also worked nights at an extremely boring data entry job James Ross set up for him. James also helped Jonny Sims get that same job (2). At the time, Jonny was playing gigs with his band The Mechanisms, but his passion was for writing. The Mechanisms were a folk band that reimagined classic stories/myths to music with hefty narrative pieces, which has obvious applicability to a podcast company. Because of this fortuitousness, sometime in 2013-14, Alex and Jonny met and found that they were both highly creative people who desperately wanted out of this job. Jonny invited Alex to a Mechanisms show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Alex loved The Mechs show. He was convinced he must work with Jonny on something. Jonny had a few ideas and pitched what would become The Magnus Archives, though it was first more of a Twilight Zone anthology, which is why the "narrator" had Jonny's name. Alex wanted to add more of a narrative framework and they shaped it together, all five seasons, so that it was cohesive the whole way through. Some things did, organically, pop up later. For instance, Martin started mainly as a foil to Jon, and only became the love interest after a bit of writing.

Around 2018, Patreon funding eventually allowed RQ to build a studio in Rusty Towers that enabled them to record their high-quality audio (3). Before that, they were - at various times - recording in a ‘yurt’ made of blankets and duvets for most of season one (usually at James Ross’ house or Martyn’s hallway, since Alex was - at that point - intermittently homeless due to asbestos problems).(4)

In 2016, RQ set up the Rusty Quill Forums, an official RQ fan-space where fans could interact with each other and RQ members. (5) This early arena for interaction would precipitate the more immediate (and much larger) Discord, Rusty Quill Official. Anil Godigamuwe, Community Manager, was the main force behind running and moderating the forums.

2016 was also the year that Mike Lebeau decided to gather a few people to play games and raise money for charity in what would become the predecessor to Rusty Quill Giving and Gaming. This event involved only Mike, Bryn, Ben, Anil, and Martyn Pratt (Chief Technology Officer). It only lasted twelve hours and they raised £700. (6)

Late 2017, Rusty Quill, in association with Historic Royal Palaces, released Outliers, a historical fiction podcast. Probably the least known of RQ’s podcasts, but very good and well-done. (Yes, this is a plug for Outliers. Go listen! It's great!)

In 2018, the Rusty Quill Official Discord server (RQO) went live and most of the fans from the forums moved there. (7)

February 15, 2019, Stellar Firma, the improv comedy sci-fi show starring Tim and Ben Meredith, began airing.

Mike wanted to explore more of the video side of creating. On January 25, 2020, RQ Streams launched, and soon there was a decent amount of content generated on RQ’s Twitch channel. Video content would gain traction in the form of New Player Challenge (NPC). Many RQ members would stream, including Anil, Autumn, several editors, and Helen Gould (member of Rusty Quill Gaming and later promoted to Head of Inclusion). The streams would get big enough that RQ would eventually hire a few mods specifically for the streams (30). RQ Streams wasn't fiscally sound as a primary source of income, but streaming helped encourage community engagement.

In February 2020, Alex gave an interview to Haggis and Dragons at PodUK. The host asked why, despite their success, Rusty Quill hadn't been present at many events such as PodUK before. Alex responded that the company was dedicated to making sure they took care of their people first, but now that all the finicky backend admin stuff was finished, they could do fun things like conventions. (8)

A month later, COVID-19 shut down the world.

At this point, TMA had been running for four years, and - while relatively successful and critically admired- was still a smallish podcast, especially when measured against engagement levels of other fiction podcasts at the time. Whether COVID, the whim of Tumblr, or a spark that refused dim, the fuse on TMA had been lit. It would jump sharply with the season four finale in Halloween 2019, but when season five premiered on April 2, 2020, TMA was at its second highest peak in popularity , its highest only a month away. It would maintain a high level of engagement until the series finale in March 2021. (9) Whatever the reason, TMA had exploded, and no one could've predicted it.

In July 2020, Hannah Brankin, Chief Operations Officer and spouse of Alex Newall, became a director in the Rusty Quill company. (10)

In August 2020, Autumn Jarvis (longtime fan of RQ) with a history of convention organization came on as Community Assistant. (11) This role promoted her to Head Moderator of the Discord (RQO), coordinating communication between the Discord mods and RQ admin. RQ hired her to help Anil, as at this point, RQO had nearly 8000 members.

The official Rusty Quill Discord server (RQO) went from a reasonable 1000 participants to nearly 14,000 before its shutdown in September 2021. In August 2020 (a few days after Autumn took over), a group raided RQO, proclaiming issues of racism, ableism, and other accusations directed at Rusty Quill, but also at the volunteer mods. It was the only major attack, but from time to time small incursions would occur thereafter. RQO’s many mods (at least 11, at one point) were unpaid. Whether or not that was a good business decision is debatable, but mods were responsible for monitoring content that was Patreon-exclusive, so one might think a Patreon subscription should’ve been included.

April 2, 2021, Patreon-exclusive Inexplicables began airing. The show was initially met with a lot of positive feedback and excitement. The RQO channels were full of theorizing and chat, which Alex could be seen reading. While Inexplicables seemed ripe for a sequel, there have been no indications of future content.

In May of 2021, Rusty Quill launched the Rusty Quill Network. Many felt the network wasn’t explained sufficiently, but subsequent clarification from Autumn verified that RQ was not doing any of the following for the new shows that would be included under the network’s umbrella: producing, funding, editing, or creating. Apparently, the RQN was designed to act as a distribution and collective bargaining service. Unfortunately, this aspect was never made explicit to the fans by official RQ channels.

In September of 2021, Autumn was terminated. While Autumn has stated the reason she was terminated, it was on a private server and because RQ has made no official statement regarding the termination, I won’t share that information. RQ did ask if she would like to appeal the decision, but Autumn declined. Later, the mods organized a walkout in protest and quit. Only the mod known as Crunchy remained, and was the last one to close out the server. Later, he would admit that the mods actively decided not to include him in this decision. (12) While there were RQ Streams mods, they, unfortunately, didn’t have as much power as the Discord mods and were unable to assist much (30). RQ released a statement on September 15, 2021 regarding the closing of the Discord and the mod walk-out, and RQO has been dark ever since. (13)

RQ Streams, it’s worth mentioning at this point, had some mods specifically for streams, but also relied on the Discord mods to moderate the chat during streams (30). Ultimately, when the mods walked out, RQ Streams was also forced to stop.

Since the mod walkout, any events run and sponsored by RQ have been modded by volunteers, and usually small enough that it hasn’t become an issue (RQGG21 being modded by some Discord mods, with other Gather events modded mostly by RQ employees) (30).

April 26, 2022, Chapter and Multiverse, the analogous successor to Rusty Quill Gaming run by Maddy Searle, the former lead editor of Stellar Firma, began airing. It would conclude its first season in August. While RQ has indicated that C&M will continue, it has been postponed until 2023. However, Maddy Searle posted a tweet (since deleted) indicating she is no longer employed at Rusty Quill. After claims that Maddy was reprimanded and forced to take down the tweet, RQ would later clarify that they have a 48 hour confidentiality policy regarding things like that, and that's why they requested the removal of the tweet for that time. Maddy hasn't reposted the tweet, or commented publicly on her reasons for doing so. 

On June 10, 2022, Mike announced he was leaving Rusty Quill. (14) Although others had also streamed on RQ’s Twitch in the past, he was the primary force driving its relevance and the channel has remained  mostly unused since the aforementioned Discord mod walkout, most likely citing lack of moderation as a main concern.

August 2, 2022, the original RQ production Trice Forgotten premiered. Trice Forgotten continues to update.

As per the September 21, 2022 Patreon email, Cry Havoc! and Neon Inkwell, the other RQ original productions, have been postponed to 2023. (29)

With their three original podcasts completed and many future projects postponed, Rusty Quill had reached a quiescent stage. Patreon emails were sparse and while RQ maintained a loyal base, activity around the company had slowed.

Then -

October 10th, 2022 a string of strange letters appeared in a Patreon email. (15) Fandom quickly deduced that it wasn't a mistake, but rather a cipher. A Discord server dedicated to cracking the code sprang up almost immediately and fandom deciphered the cryptic letters in a few hours. This began a mini-ARG leading to the announcement of a Magnus Archives "side-quel": The Magnus Protocol. On a subsequent livestream, Alex confirmed the sequel and announced that the project would be fully funded by a Kickstarter. No money would be taken from Patreon, current or proposed shows, income generated through ads, agreements, merch, RQN residuals, etc. (16)

The Magnus Protocol Kickstarter launched November 22. It was fully funded in less than one minute, and as-of publishing this post is currently at £ 624,268, 4162% of their original goal. Release for the project is expected in October 2023 and is said to follow two British civil servants, Alice and Sam, as they deal with the legacy of the burned-down Magnus Institute of Manchester. Curious, as the Magnus Institute from the original series was very much based in London. (17)

On December 12, 2022, Newt Schottelkotte - marketing director for the Fable and Folly podcast network - released an opinion article on Medium detailing several allegations against Rusty Quill. (18) Schottelkotte submitted the article to several publications that declined to publish it. They decided to self-publish on Medium, which allows for independent publication. In good faith, I won’t presume this was a targeted attack by another network, but rather the opinion of a contingent of industry professionals who tried to represent those allegedly wronged by Rusty Quill as a production company (perhaps taking advantage of the timing of the new Kickstarter to gain traction for their post - but that one can only leave to speculation). The testimonies were anonymous.

December 13, 2022, after a resulting influx of polarizing social media posts, RQ released an official response to the Medium article, refuting most points raised. (19)

Now, before I get into less fact-based territory, and knowing RQ intends to announce a more recent Operations Update in the new year, I feel it's relevant going forward to mention that for all the talk surrounding both sides of the story, the composition of Rusty Quill is not as large as some might think, considering the assumptions of some of the claims.  In 2021 the company conducted a voluntary internal census on company makeup and satisfaction. (20) At the time they had 28 employees. 23 responded, and here are a few interesting tidbits they had to say:

91% identify as Neurodivergent

30% identify as non-cisgender; 48% identify as female, 26% as male, and 26% as not exclusively one of those categories

30% are people of color

30% identify as bisexual, 9% pansexual, & 9% queer. 26% identify as heterosexual. These numbers may or may not include the 17% who identify as asexual.

This census doesn’t include individual contractors (which comprises most of their editors and voice actors). In the census, RQ recognized their huge deficit in hiring people of color. RQ maintains a flat pay structure across all departments (including leadership), which - thanks to Patreon funding - stands above the London cost of living rate. (21)

The Less Than Objective Part

Rusty Quill is a small company. The average number of employees for 2022 was 21. (22) This number doesn't reflect possible layoffs/terminations since then. Most of its voice actors and editors are contracted. This is intended partially to allow flexibility on both RQ and the contractors’ part as well as enable RQ to diversify their talent without the contractual obligation of employment (the UK doesn’t recognize ‘at-will’ employment; termination must be for a cause). Meaning that even if the company finds itself in the position of having to terminate employees, it maintains the possibility of working with those same people as contractors to help out RQ financially, but also to allow those employees to find more stable or long term jobs in the interim.

However, holding onto only an essential team of staff (as you find in any small company, but especially in an industry without historical regulation - often relying on a presumed integrity of nebulous industry standards, as opposed to codified protections) employees are often forced to wear many hats. Most often voluntarily, but often to their detriment. This manifested in such things as Autumn transcribing Stellar Firma, without any transcription experience, or the continual mishap of Alex or Hannah responding to delicate situations with off-the-cuff inexpertise (generally sweet and earnest, but not as diplomatic or clear as needed - something that larger companies potentially avoid with dedicated teams regarding media training), but is perhaps most apparent in the early stages of RQG and TMA where Alex, in addition to being a primary player/voice actor, did the majority of the editing and mastering until Lowri Ann Davies joined halfway through RQG. Based exclusively on the runtimes of RQG episodes/specials (not including how long it actually took to edit down recorded footage to what we hear), Alex edited a total of 217 hours of RQG, over 9 whole days, or nearly 83% of the content. (23) Early specials, behind the scenes specials, and Q&As often contain jokes about Alex needing to sleep. This sort of work-life balance should not be necessary for success, but many creatives know that it’s the unfortunate reality for many startups without the resources of a major media network backing them. 

And, as evidenced here, despite its exposure and popularity Rusty Quill’s resources were limited from the start. Alex and Hannah, as directors and main shareholders in the company, are solely responsible for the company’s fiscal viability. As such, I think this has led to some decisions where one or both of them have taken over projects or refused to delegate when it would have better served that project or even themselves. But there’s also something to be said for a duty of care, and the difficulty of giving that up. 

In such an environment, it’s not surprising that a large part of smaller podcasting companies’ revenue is generated through fan-funding. The grassroots organization of a devoted fanbase can help grow a company without access to other funds or a robust marketing budget. Steady patreon subscriptions can make up for periods of instability in advertising returns, but issues begin to arise when companies encounter something like RQ did: an explosion in popularity that lacked sustainability, and the contingencies and strategies to deal with that. However, it’s a double-edged sword. The importance of Patreon and fan goodwill can help create the mentality that RQ owes the fans something. Nothing in Patreon's TOS requires artists to offer rewards; the idea behind Patreon - at least to me - is that in exchange of supporting someone making art you enjoy, you occasionally get glimpses into the creative process behind that art. This idea has evolved over the years, but I think Patreon has become, to some people, more transactional: I pay you five dollars, you give me one piece of art. This more give-take mentality can lead to feelings of ownership; fans pay for RQ to exist, therefore they should have a say in how RQ conducts its business. Whether RQ views it that way or not.

RQ has begun to diversify their income, however, with the creation of the RQN, where they get fees from providing marketing and distribution services for other podcasts. Although RQ has experienced a drop in Patrons, it has returned to subscription levels similar to those before the meteoric rise of TMA and is hopefully navigating towards finding a balance between delivering what fans want without enabling an unhealthy relationship of catering to what’s profitable instead of what they want and are excited about making. (24)

Fandom and The Illusion of Closeness

There’s no denying that many creatives have an intimate relationship with their audience, especially smaller and/or newer ventures. RQ had, for a long time, quite a close relationship with its fans. It’s still visible in the old forums, where Alex, Mike, and Anil could be seen posting with regularity. There are many images from past RQGGs (even up to RQGG19) where RQ staff and fans casually mingled. 

However, there is an issue with something like Discord where the immediacy of contact creates the illusion of intimacy. The ability to ping a creator facilitates the idea that the creator is therefore available and willing to be pinged. It’s not so much an issue when there are 1000 people on a server with only a hundred or so active, and only a fraction of them irregularly contacting creatives. When that number goes up, even proportionally, it results in a huge uptick in forced contact. It’s been theorized that both Jonny Sims and Ben Meredith stepped back from the Discord server because of crossed boundaries. Another staff member had a fan harass them to the point of needing to block said fan and the fan was eventually banned from RQO by the mods. 

On the other hand, Community Manager Anil continued to always be available and Alex & Hannah would occasionally hop on and respond when they were active. This apparent ease of access can trick people into believing that they are close to the creators, and the illusion of this perceived relationship can be problematic for both parties.

In these circumstances it’s natural for creators to develop a persona to protect themselves. There’s nothing wrong with this and it is, in fact, a healthy and smart thing to do; the person fans interact with is not, exactly, who that person is. Not to say they’re fake or lying, but that creators deserve a degree of privacy that comes from concealing certain things about themselves that fans aren’t - and shouldn’t be - privy to. Fans’ insistence on access to creators and their secrets can be extremely difficult and exhausting, especially for creators who don’t have a publicity or security team. For instance, Jonny was forced to reveal his past with drug abuse when people incessantly questioned and berated him about his portrayal of drug abuse in "Strung Out," a season five episode of TMA (notably also when the fandom had exploded beyond the comfortable community of its earlier seasons). Fan entitlement to knowledge about creators and access to them can be particularly egregious in this sort of setting where the creators are trying to maintain the intimate community they used to enjoy, one that (at least in the initial stages) they relied on financially, while dealing with a huge influx of new fans. Even Critical Role, arguably the largest podcast in the actual-play genre, has suffered from a similar issue, though the actors in CR have much more experience than RQ.

Rusty Quill is a business and their dealings are of proprietary interest. Like any other entertainment company, they produce a product for consumption but the way they run internally isn’t something consumers are (or should be) privy to - barring gross mistreatment  which, despite claims, hasn’t been proven. When Autumn was terminated, RQ didn’t release an official statement on what led to the termination. While many fans wanted to know, RQ has no obligation to reveal internal processes like hiring/firing, especially if details of such could affect an employee’s future employment. Identifying particular employees as responsible for certain policies or potentially upsetting updates could open that employee to threats or harassment (which RQ experienced before).

The Disproportionate Critique of Small Creators

It would be ridiculous to assert that Rusty Quill has never made a mistake - sometimes repeatedly - or a misstep. They’ve issued an apology multiple times for the lack of sensitivity in their content or a miscommunication on their end. Miscommunication was, in fact, a key factor in why the Discord mods left. RQ tried to preemptively combat these issues by hiring Helen Gould as a sensitivity director to ensure their content had been looked over for things that could be harmful. Given their company makeup and the composition of their talent - both writing and on-air - RQ has tried to diversify itself so that their content doesn’t come solely from the perspective of cishet white male. Stellar Firma would be the only show to suffer from this, however, it’s worth mentioning that on the production side Maddy Searle and Katie Seaton seem to have been brought on intentionally to avoid, or at least ameliorate this issue.

There is a pervasive issue with fandom as a whole to apply a more rigorous rubric against smaller and/or indie companies producing entertainment because they’re accessible. It’s easy to see why this phenomenon exists; when a person sees that they can speak to a creator directly, that the creator might respond specifically to those critiques. It can feel as if the consumer has more power in the relationship. Complaining about Disney cutting out a lesbian kiss in Star Wars, for example, will never reach Bob Iger, but if you want to talk to James D’Amato about a choice he made in the most recent Skyjacks episodes, he’s almost certainly going to respond. By feeling more intimately connected to creators, fans can feel empowered to be more aggressive in their criticisms.

A sustainable medium must exist between the two extremes of critique. A small indie company like Rusty Quill cannot be above criticism because of its size or its intention to do better - at some point, it must actually be doing better (which, I believe, it has and is consistently endeavoring to). Conversely, it can’t be upheld to a stricter standard than a larger company purely because its creators are accessible and will directly encounter the critique aimed at them. Rusty Quill has expanded their base of collaborators - which includes having an open pitch form to allow anyone to submit ideas - and made headway on wider and more accurate representation in their shows. There are certainly other shows and companies tackling and portraying difficult issues and diversity with a better outcome than Rusty Quill. That doesn't detract from the efforts RQ is making and shouldn't invite a disproportionate level of critique.

So What Now?

While it is fair to offer critique aimed at Rusty Quill and what it does, I think the benefits of this coming from a large audience diminish due to a few factors: quantity with no control for quality, purity culture, and entitlement. These things could comprise a much much longer essay, but I’ll be brief.

One of the huge benefits RQ got out of early Patreon release on the Discord was a limited quantity of feedback. Alex would show up to ask about the sound quality: if anything seemed off or if we had comments or noticed something. Anil would collect extra content warnings if needed, and some titles even changed when fans pointed out redundancies. Both Alex and (to a much stronger degree) Helen interacted with patrons about Inexplicables, including thoughts and theories. At one point, RQ created a gaming system called Ensemble and elicited feedback from people, encouraging them to play. These comments and critique are very helpful for RQ because of their pointedness. Contrast this to the response to the s5 TMA episode “Strung Out" - or the controversy surrounding a later episode’s perceived insensitivity to current events, necessitating a warning and apology before the usual opening theme (a perception generated before the public launch of the episode, stoked by assumptions and Twitter discourse).

Fandom as a whole has veered bizarrely into an obsession with purity - if something isn’t perfect, then it shouldn’t exist. RQ will not and cannot get everything right. It’s not a format made for easy editing and revision after the fact. It can be lauded for its achievements and persuaded to do better in a way that isn’t overly aggressive or hyperbolic. People tend to forgive mistakes if they like something and focus on them if they don’t, but it’s better to avoid assigning a moral value to something like representation - the effort and commitment is important. (For clarity - I believe it is moral and ethical to do everything you can to achieve accurate and diverse representation. The morality I reference here is more in regards to labeling something, irredeemably, as bad just because it doesn’t live up to your expectations). 

Not to be repetitive, but fans in smaller fandoms often feel a sense of entitlement because of their ease of access to creators. If Alex is right there talking about the Trice Forgotten schedule, why shouldn’t he answer a prod about the continuation of Chapter & Multiverse??? The answer is that he’s updating you on Trice - not Chapter. Fans are not, and shouldn’t be, part of the internal machinations of a company, however close they feel, and why certain things happen or when isn’t always going to be obvious. RQ has varying degrees of success when it comes to updating their fans about timelines or happenings in the company, and while there is definitely room for improvement, overall, it shouldn’t be a requirement or expectation. That is to say - the relentless inundation of tangential comments or questions offers no benefit and can impose an increasing feeling of frustration: for the company, for the fan asking, and for the fans witnessing. Not even mentioning the personel issue. RQ has shown a willingness to acknowledge, apologize, and modify their content when there are complaints made against it. Because RQ has acted this way, it might invite the idea that they should have the same transparency and openness to comment about the way their business runs; of which they have no obligation to do so, and in many instances, definitely should not.

For instance, several people may have been let go from Rusty Quill recently, probably because of financial issues due to the downturn in the UK economy (see RQ’s statement for more specific reasoning). Although it is tempting to be angry or upset about it, businesses make decisions involving structure and the reorganization of employees in their company all the time. For a variety of reasons. Lay-offs or terminations may be needed in order to keep a company afloat. Often these legal reasons and internal processes cannot be disclosed, and barring that the individuals involved may not have consented to their information becoming public - despite audiences wanting to see corporate due diligence. The point is that while it might be comforting to know why things happened, ultimately it isn’t reasonable to expect a company to share those details or any others that have to do with its internal running or function.

Moving Forward

Rusty Quill is in a precarious position. The unexpected juggernaut of The Magnus Archives turned them from a small, emergent company to a well-known name in the podcast community. They were unprepared for it, very few people could be, and nearly three years later they’re still struggling to find a sustainable balance. RQ has had to adjust to the influx of fans, fan opinions, money, and the resulting issues of accountability. And now that TMA is over, they’ve had some time to try to adjust to not having that same monetary inflow. Whatever outward critique can be placed on them for how they’ve handled the transition, the formation of Rusty Quill Network seems to have leveled out their income in a way that will enable them to stay solvent, even if it means occasionally stopping to restructure and reorient. There is no provable model for success.

While some detractors may claim that the Magnus sequel Kickstarter is a huge windfall, it isn't necessarily so. Money made from a Kickstarter must go toward what is promised - hence the use of clearly stated stretch goals. It is against Kickstarter policy to give funds to charity, so the KS money will be used solely for projects relating to TMP. That money is spent and should be treated as thus and not a surge of new money into RQ’s coffers. It’s not a bail out. (25)

RQ has a brand that people trust and they should lean into that reputation, heavily promoting their new shows and focusing on getting those running. RQN seems instrumental in keeping the company afloat and therefore it’s understandable that so much time is spent introducing and promoting the shows taken under that umbrella (that’s part of the incentivizing service they offer RQN shows anyway), But RQ cannot expect the ad revenue from their new shows like they did with TMA and have to adjust accordingly. I hope RQ recognizes that they’re still mostly a small indie company with a surprise hit and allow themselves the restrictions - and responsibilities - of that.

As for fans, I think RQ should capitalize on the good favor they have and reengage the fandom in an appropriate manner. Livestreams are wonderful, but should automatically have slowmode to at least 30 seconds on any stream, 60 on a huge one (like the KS promotion livestream). It not only allows the on-air talent to catch some messages, but it allows the mods to filter easier. How they reestablish a team of mods is theirs to outline, but with better communication and potential benefits (i.e. a patreon subscription) it’s likely folks would be willing. 

Secondly, I believe RQ should reinstate the forums. The benefit to something more static like forums (or reddit threads or whatever is similar) is the ease of moderation and the forced expansion of time. Without the instant chat function of Discord, it isn’t as overwhelming to participate in forums or threads. These should be official RQ forums and moderated (which won’t be as difficult as a Discord). As mentioned, compensation is a tricky subject because when you start paying ‘volunteers’ they can claim employment and it opens up RQ to a whole swath of responsibilities. A “Mod Team” shirt or pin, a patreon subscription, maybe some mod-creator meetups could be provided for services rendered.

RQ could possibly look into reopening the Discord, perhaps limiting it to patrons. While that would make it more manageable, it potentially leads to issues involving classism or elitism. It could also exacerbate the earlier issue of fan entitlement. If RQ decides to reopen the Discord, they should do so with a lot of consideration.

I'm a huge fan of Rusty Quill. There are plenty of times I’ve been frustrated or disappointed with them, but at its heart, it tries to accomplish what I think to be a noble and admirable goal. Rusty Quill seeks to create good art with an emphasis on highlighting diverse voices that might not otherwise get a chance to perform. And, from what I’ve seen despite some ups and downs, tries to do their best to create sustainable income for those they bring along as collaborators. The love the team has for storycrafting is obvious and that - along with their community - is where they should focus.

EDIT:

I started this post about three weeks ago, so the Medium article was a big surprise. I won’t dissect the article because that’s not my goal, but I do have a few thoughts.

So, let's address the article on Medium.

Here is the article so you can read it for yourself. https://medium.com/@newtschott/whos-afraid-of-alex-j-newall-ae3a67f3a5e1

Here is Rusty Quill's response: https://rustyquill.com/2022/12/13/public-response-to-an-opinion-piece/

This tumblr post speaks about an inaccurate quote that the article mentions, and I think is relevant: https://www.tumblr.com/dadhuddle/703488191401984000/journalistic-integrity-re-newt-schottelkottes-rq?source=share.

Here is a link to a tumblr post from Harlan Guthrie, creator of the Malevolent podcast, which is part of the RQN. I felt it important to get a point of view of someone involved in the network. https://www.tumblr.com/malevolentcast/703493906802868224/you-probably-already-know-about-this-but-an?source=share

The issues the article raises are very important. If these allegations are true, they need to be addressed. Newt being the marketing director of a rival podcast company and failing to disclose this for several hours casts the entire article in doubt because the conflict of interest is something ethical journalists would've avoided. (26) Newt also favorably compared RQ's practices to Fable and Folly. (27) Newt and the other two editors of the piece also provided their contact information to provide help with "research, job searches, and more" to former/current employees of RQ. (28) Neither of these things are inherently wrong, but Newt's connection to F&F casts them in a different light. This could possibly be construed as encouragement for current RQ employees or network shows to leave RQ for F&F. It's unfortunate, because this conversation needed to happen, especially if the purported issues are factual. Now there is a haze over the veracity of this article because of this lack of disclosure and the conflicts of interest from the author.

There has been some talk stating that podcast networks are not rivals. They can be friendly, they can share actors, they can share spaces. They almost certainly don't share profits. Every show added to a network brings in income for that network. If one of these networks dissolves, then the shows under its umbrella can move to one of the other networks, raising its profits. It's difficult to deny that one podcast network would benefit from the dissolution of another. I would identify that as rivals, even if they're friendly.

I don't believe that Fable and Folly had anything to do with this article. I don't even think Newt intended for them to be involved at all or for people to make that connection. It's the appearance of bias that muddies the waters. Most journalistic codes of ethics tell journalists to avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. If it seems a journalist has a stake in the outcome of a story, it compromises the neutrality and the authenticity of the piece.

And unfortunately, despite Newt's claims of a background in journalism (unverifiable at the time of posting this blog outside of editorial publications), the necessary practices to lend credence towards these allegations weren't followed.

This post represents my own opinions, based in my involvement in the community. I've tried to provide sources whenever I could, though much of it was lost when the RQ Discord shut down, or mired in the sheer breadth of content. If there's a blatant untruth, please let me know with supporting evidence so I can correct it.

Footnotes:

1. Establishment of the company and ownership as per the foundation documents.

2. Alex & Jonny working the same job James Ross gave them (160 Q&A)

3. Patreon funding builds new studio via Studio tour video: (the video is patron-only, so here is a screencap of Alex stating that Patreon funded the studio)

4. Alex was homeless for a while, retrospective 189.5 (amongst others)

5. Rusty Quill Forums https://rustyquill.proboards.com/board/1/general-board

6. RQ Forums post celebrating the first RQGG

7. Rusty Quill Official Discord goes live, via RQ Forums.

8. Haggis and Dragons interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkYsA50Ts9M&list=FLaf41raWk5sb2VhQcEcPpsg&index=27

(Alex talking about the company stepping back from the public 12:30)

9. Popularity of the term “the magnus archives” from Google Analytics

10. Hannah becomes director, via RQ filing documentation

11. Autumn becomes Community Assistant, via Patreon email

12. Rusty Quill’s official statement about mods walkout.

Announcement - plain text 15-09-21.pdf

13. Crunchy's tweet

14. Mike LeBeau leaves RQ, via his twitter

15. The first Magnus sequel ARG prompt, via Patreon email

16. Oct 24 Pre-Kickstarter Announcement Livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLOj5JKq-QU&t

17. The Magnus Protocol Kickstarter launch livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xk1hgVY2cc&t

18 Newt Schottelkotte's Medium piece: https://medium.com/@newtschott/whos-afraid-of-alex-j-newall-ae3a67f3a5e1

19 Rusty Quill's response to the Schottelkotte piece: https://rustyquill.com/2022/12/13/public-response-to-an-opinion-piece/

20. Rusty Quill internal census

21 The end of the RQ census summary:

22. Average number of employees at RQ in 2022, via RQ filing documentation

23. RQG editing stats, courtesy of the LOLOMG: A performance review by Oscar Wilde team (the team theorizes that Alex was still mastering during that early gap, but forgot to credit himself) [additional note: LOLOMG was a fan project to celebrate the end of Rusty Quill Gaming] note added 10am - incorrectly attributed, my deepest apologies to Straw and their team

24. Patreon retention stats, via Graphetron

25. Kickstarter use policy

26 The lack of disclosure on the initial posting of the Schottelkotte article.

27 Comparison of Fable and Folly's practices to Rusty Quill's.

28 Contact information for the writer and two editors given to current and ex Rusty Quill employees and network shows.

29 Patreon announcement of Cry Havoc! and Neon Inkwell postponement (I knew I had this lying around somewhere!)

30 Some additional information from Crunchy (thanks Crunchy!). sorry for the awful paint edit job (added 16/12/22 7pm)

#rusty quill #rusty quill drama #the magnus archives #rusty quill network #the magnus protocol #that's like just your opinion man

[purplephantomwolf]

Love in Motion

Chapter Two

Synopsis: Lydia gets a wrong number text from Lando Norris.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately.

Warnings for this chapter: None

Previous Chapters: Chapter One

Next Chapter: Chapter Three

Masterlist

April 4, 2022

9 pm

     I groan, leaning back in my chair. I glare at the lab manual I’ve been trying to make sense of for the past two hours. I glance over at my phone as it lights up with a message from someone. I pick it up to respond to the message. It's a message from Luke. My eyebrows rise in surprise. 

Luke: Good morning!

Me: Uh, hi. Good morning! Did you sleep well?

Luke: I did! Has the rest of your day gone well? 

Me: The rest of my day has gone okay. I’ve been staring at a stupid lab manual for the past two hours. I’ve been trying to make sense of it because I have to do the lab tomorrow. 

Luke: That sounds awful. I’m so thankful I’m no longer in school.

Me: Yeah, I’m jealous. I’m searching for jobs in my dream field, but I haven’t found any that allows me to do what I want yet. 

Luke: Oh? What’s your dream job then?

Me: My ultimate dream job is working as a photographer in the motorsport world, preferably F1, but I’d take any motorsport. My next dream job is just anything that allows me to travel the world taking photos. 

Luke: That would be an awesome job. I recently got into photography as a hobby. Do you have any photos you’d be willing to share with me? 

Me: Sure! 

     I send him five of my favourite photos I’ve taken. Two are of cars on the move, one is a still life of a bunch of cars from a car show, the fourth is a sunset, and the last is of a group of people playing soccer. 

Luke: Holy shit! Those are amazing! 

Me: Thanks! I’m really proud of these photos. They’re some of my favourite ones I’ve taken. 

Luke: They’re beautiful. 

Me: Thank you! So, you mentioned that you’re no longer in school. Can I ask what exactly you do?

     I wait for a minute, but get no response. I decide to mess around on my phone for a bit while waiting for a response. After 5 minutes of not getting a response, I set my phone down. Right as I set my phone down, a notification for my chat with Luke pops up and I quickly click it. 

Luke: I am an event manager for McLaren F1 team. 

Me: Really? That is so cool! I wanted to do event management in sports before I was in chemistry, though I was wanting to get into baseball. If I was still event management, I’d want to do motorsports now. Do you enjoy it? What does that entail? 

Luke: I plan events for the fans mainly. 

Me: That sounds like a fun job. 

Luke: Why did you switch?

Me: My parents thought I wouldn’t find a job that would make as much money as they do, so they made me switch to chemistry because it has higher paying jobs. 

Luke: Well, that’s stupid. Were you happy in event management?

Me: Yeah, I was. But my parents are paying for my college, so I have to do what they want.

Luke: That’s very stupid. I take it you aren’t happy with chemistry?

Me: No, I’m not. But I’ve only got two years left of chemistry, so it’ll be all good!

Luke: Alright, well good luck. 

Me: Thanks! How’s your hangover?

Luke: I actually didn’t drink that much, so no hangover for me!

Me: That’s very nice. I’ve never been hungover. I don’t drink a lot when I do drink. Can’t stand the taste of alcohol lol

Luke: Oh yeah, I get that. 

Me: Do you want to play a game?

Luke: What game?

Me: 21 Questions? To get to know each other?

Luke: That sounds like a good idea. Do you want to start?

Me: Sure! What is your favourite thing to do in your off time?

Luke: I like to play video games. What is your favourite tv show?

Me: Doctor Who. I could go on about that show forever. Who is your real life hero?

Luke: Valentino Rossi. What’s your favourite season of the year?

Me: Fall. The colors are beautiful, the temperature is beautiful. I love it. What is your favourite song?

Luke: Right now it’s Last Last. What is your favourite city?

Me: Of all the cities I’ve been to, London or Barcelona. If you had to guess what people appreciate the most about you, what would you say? 

Luke: My humour for sure. You’ve been to London and Barcelona?

Me: Yeah, I went when I was a lot younger with my family. My family went on a three week trip to four different countries in Europe. We went to London, Paris, Zurich, and Barcelona. I loved London the most. It was right before the 2012 Olympics, so the city is probably different from what I remember now, though. Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Luke: I would say I’m in the middle. What are your top three items on your bucket list? 

Me: Going to an F1 race, start going to the gym, develop my skills in photography even more. Do you like to go to the movies or prefer watching them at home? Do you talk during movies?

Luke: I would prefer watching them home because it’s more comfortable. Plus it’s not expensive. I do not talk during movies if it’s the first time someone is watching it. If it’s not the first time, I’ll discuss the movie with others while watching it. If you could choose any F1 race to go to, which one would it be?

Me: I’m torn between Austin and Great Britain. I know Monaco is like the go to cause of the history and prestige of it all, but I think Austin or Great Britain would be more fun with the atmosphere. Are you into podcasts or do you only listen to music?

Luke: I only listen to music. Podcasts need more attention than what I'm willing to give than music. What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

Me: Probably chocolate. What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?

Luke: Talking to my friends. What is the phone app you use the most?

Me: TikTok or Discord. How would you spend your birthday, ideally?

Luke: Spend the day casually with my friends and family, and then have a party with them at night. You said you use discord, do you play video games?

Me: Yes, I do. It’s one of my favourite things to do in my free time. What video games do you play? Do you usually play single player or multiplayer?

Luke: I usually play CS:GO and F1. What video games do you play?

Me: If I play multiplayer games, it’ll be Valorant. But I mainly play single player games, like Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of my favourite games ever.

Luke: Which one is that one? I know they take place throughout time. 

Me: That one is the Greek history one. I’m super into Greek history/mythology, so I absolutely love it. 

Luke: Oh that sounds cool!

     I glance over at the time. “Shit, it’s already midnight,” I groan. Now that I’m not focused on responding to Luke, I realize I am struggling to keep my eyes open. 

Me: As much as I’d love to continue this, I just realized it’s midnight here, and I need to sleep. 

Luke: Okay, sounds good! Have a good night! 

Me: Thank you! Have a good day! 

Luke: Good night!

Me: Good night!

     I plug in my phone, shut off my pc, and change for bed. I crawl into bed, falling asleep quickly.

#f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 imagines #f1 story #lando norris #lando norris x oc #lando norris fanfic #lando norris imagine #lando norris imagines #lando norris story

[heliza24]

I'm kind of confused about how you feel about Lydia, I didn't think there was anything negative about the portrayal. You say she was just there for a lore dump but the way I see it, she was talking about her own life, an adventure she'd been on before. I didn't see it as dismissing her as a character

The short answer is that there isn’t anything hugely wrong with that scene. But because it’s the only real scene we’ve gotten with her so far, and because she is the most developed physically disabled character in all of D20, it is not enough.

To expand on that: Sure, she was telling the Bad Kids about her life and her previous adventures. But let’s think about why she was doing that in that moment. She was there because the Bad Kids needed to know more about her embedded crystal/metaphorical chronic illness in order to solve their own personal mysteries. She is a (very) supporting character in their narrative. We don’t get to see her go on a character arc, or change, or learn more about her desires as a character. Her disability story, which is very interesting, is in the show only because it serves the story needs of the nondisabled PCs.

Now of course all stories need supporting characters/npcs, and I am happy some of them are disabled. The problem arises when there has never been a physically disabled PC in Dimension 20. So the only disability narrative we see is in service of nondisabled characters. The problem is not Lydia; the problem is that she is alone.

You might recognize this problem with other media and other marginalized groups. To use a kind of simple example, I spent a lot of my childhood frustrated that the only women seemingly allowed in fantasy or action movies were the romantic interests of male protagonists. These love interests existed to serve the story of their male counterpart (often by dying dramatically and sending the male protagonist on some kind of revenge quest). There are still plenty of movies and shows that follow these tropes, but it bothers me way less now in 2024 because we also have a ton of tv and movies with complex female protagonists. The abundance of representation is what has changed.

I think this problem is extra clear on Dimension 20 because they have gotten SO many chances to center a disabled narrative and have not. They get up to six protagonists every season, which is way more than most tv or movies get.

Compared to a lot of other pieces of media that try to add in disabled characters, Dimension 20 is doing a good job with Lydia. They haven’t hired a nondisabled actor to play her (super common in tv and movies unfortunately) and they’ve clearly worked with consultants on her. I really like, for instance, that her persistence with the crystal prevents her being magically cured, which is one of my least favorite tropes. However, there is a huge trend in Hollywood of hiring disabled consultants when they want to tell a disabled story but never actually hiring a disabled writer for a full time, credited writing gig in a writers room. The players on D20 are the writing room. Why has a disabled person never been invited there?

Imagine, for a second, that we got a Fantasy High prequel season. All the adults we know in Fantasy High are teens, and they’re PCs. Imagine a really talented performer, who uses a wheelchair, playing Lydia. Imagine the emotional scenes we would see! Imagine the insight into her psyche we would get, the way her relationship to the Crystal would be developed. That’s what the scene with Lydia in Junior Year made me long for.

(I do have some frustration about the way Kristen reacted to Lydia, and the way that fandom reacted to Kristen. I did find Kristen offering empathy to Lydia in the form of the help action sweet, but being nice to a disabled person doesn’t deserve outsized praise, because we are not objects of pity. I also think the way that Kristen touched Lydia’s neck without permission is reminiscent of the way many wheelchair users are touched and pushed without permission, which is very violating. I don’t think Kristen would have had that same reaction to Sandra Lynn, for instance. Kristen is really Going Through It right now, so I’m not particularly mad at her for doing that. But it is irritating to see fandom singing the praises of the help action without acknowledging the touching without consent that followed).

Thank you for the question! I appreciate the opportunity to have a dialogue about this.

#dimension 20 #d20 #my meta #my crip media reviews #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high #d20 fhjy #ask box #dropout tv #dropout

[bagerfluff]

hey same Anonymous from before requesting part 2 Scott McCall x male reader cuddles

plot now that reader has let stiles cuddle him and Scott during that movie night stiles won't stop asking reader for cuddles even when Scott not around headcannon stiles loves him some cuddle will not stop till he get his cuddles but stiles is very picky where he get his cuddles from

Your wish is my command and I hope you like this

Stiles Loves Cuddles

Set in season two/three

Something that not a lot of people knew about Stiles is that he loved cuddles. Ever since he was a kid and even more since his mom died. But Stiles never got his cuddles. It was a bit weird to cuddle with your best friend and Stiles' dad never was the most physical person. Plus Stiles was particular about his cuddles. It had to be just right. The person had to want to cuddle and had to be good at it. Scott can be a bit too handy. He never knew what to do with his hands. And his dad was too cold. He just laid there. Not acknowledging Stiles. Which made Stiles feel like he was annoying him. So no one ever knew. Stiles kept that secret locked up. Plus once Scott got bit by Peter Stiles had to be tough. 

Especially since Scott was freaking out. Then when Lydia went missing and when she got back he needed to be strong for her. Then the murders. Then Stiles being strong for Scott and his dad. So Stiles never got a break. So Stiles found other ways of letting off steam. One of those things was hanging out with Scott. Not to deal with supernatural stuff. But just to hang out like friends. Like before Scott got bit. But then Scott started dating Y/n. Now don’t get Stiles wrong. He loved the fact his best friend was happy. But Stiles no longer could hang out with Scott as much. He could, but he would prefer not to be trying to find out what was murdering everyone when he could be playing games with Scott. 

So when Stiles barged into Scott’s house to see him and Y/n cuddling he felt sad. Scott got what he wanted. Cuddles. But when Y/n invited him over to cuddle. Seemingly magically knowing that Stiles liked cuddles. Stiles was really happy. Then when Y/n started to run his hand through his hair Stiles was in heaven. Y/n knew how to cuddle. He knew what to do with his hands. He knew how to make you feel safe. And that was something that Stiles hadn’t felt in a long time. So after Stiles woke up and had to leave Stiles craved the comfort that Y/n gave him. Stiles did think that it was weird that he wanted to cuddle with his best friend's boyfriend but neither Scott nor Y/n made him feel weird about it. 

When Stiles wanted cuddles Y/n seemed to know and wrapped his arm around Stiles and pulled him into his chest. And it didn’t feel wrong. Stiles might be bisexual but he isn’t attracted to men and women but he is not attracted to Y/n. That’s Scott's job. So Stiles slowly started showing up to Scott and Y/n’s movie nights to cuddle. Scott was annoyed at him at first but he got used to it. Then Stiles started slowly asking for cuddles when Scott wasn’t around. Like if was off doing werewolf business and Stiles and Y/n were left alone. Scott would come home to Y/n and Stiles cuddling watching a movie or TV show.

But as Stiles got more comfortable showing and telling people that he wanted cuddles other people tried to cuddle or hug him. Lydia tried to cuddle with him once but Stiles refused. More people tried but Stiles refused them all. Stiles only wanted cuddles if it was from Y/n. Y/n felt happy that Stiles only wanted to cuddle him. He felt happy that he helped Stiles calm down. Y/n couldn’t do much else but be there for his friends. So when Stiles needed cuddles or if Scott needed cuddles Y/n felt happy he could help them.

Stiles may be the best friend. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like cuddles.

#lgbtq #teen wolf x male reader #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf #scott mccall x male reader #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski x male reader #oneshot

[solsticethebatearedfox]

Bad Kids Food + Cooking Headcanons

Adaine

Before moving in to Mordred, she couldn't cook for shit. Her family had unseeing servants and stuff and it was assumed she would never need to know.

Eventually Jawbone, Lydia and Sandra Lynn teach her. She begins to love it - it feels similar to ritual spellcasting for her.

After the Nightmare Forest, she starts cooking and baking with Aelwyn. They make a mean black forest cake together. It's great bonding time

Kristen

Is better with camp food than regular food - made it at church camps a lot

Also had to cook for her siblings constantly (we stan parentification :/) but for the most part it was chicken nuggets and microwaved corn kernels and whatever - easy, processed meals

However, her mother insisted she know how to cook because when she had a husband and children it would be her job. So she would often make roast meals and big servings of chicken corn soup to freeze for the week

To this day she hates cooking - it brings back bad memories and feelings.

Fig

Much like Kristen, better at camp food (ie. ranger meals that Sandra Lynn taught her)

She kinda knows how to forage and hunt but not as well as Sandra Lynn would like

She loves baking but has little patience

Her decorating skills are non-existent but she tries

Fabian

My man can't cook for shit, like at all. He can't even make a sandwich. Cathilda tried to teach him but his parents would often intervene so he never had the patience to learn.

Riz

Riz would be a good cook if he knew how. Unfortunately Sklonda didn't have the time to teach him or the money to buy ingredients for him to learn. She did what she could - he at least knows sandwichs and pasta and rice and very basic staples - but he couldn't tell you how to cook steak

After the Nightmare Forest, Sandra Lynn teaches him how to forage and hunt. He takes to it far better than Fig (he has more patience for it)

Gorgug

Other than Adaine after season two, Gorgug is the best chef of the bad kids. Ain't no way Digby & Wilma were letting him not know how to cook.

He likes baking too, but mainly does things like slow cooker stews and pulled pork sliders with homemade curly fries.

He enjoys seeing the delight on his friends' faces when he makes them food

Honorary Bad Kids

Ragh is in the same boat as Adaine - didn't learn until after Jawbone was in his life. After he worked through his issues, Ragh got really close to Lydia via learning how to cook. Now he often cooks with Gorgug, making BBQ dinners together for their families

Ayda doesn't know how to cook. Past iterations might have but this one doesn't. She has Garthy after all. But she does enjoy baking with Fig or Adaine (and sometimes even helping Gorgug or Ragh)

Tracker knows how to cook, Jawbone taught her. She learnt how to cook on a tight budget, and how to forage and hunt. She and Sandra Lynn bonded over that

Aelwyn is the same as Adaine, never knew until after the Nightmare Forest. She gets really into it, especially baking, making perfect macarons and puff pastry. It's escapism, but she doesn't always have the spoons (it takes a lot outta her)

#dimension 20 #fantasy high #dimension 20 fantasy high #it should be junior year spoiler free #but it has #fhsy spoilers #riz gukgak #fabian aramais seacaster #fabian seacaster #figeroth faeth #fig faeth #adaine abernant #adaine o'shaughnessey #gorgug thistlespring #kristen applebees #the bad kids #ragh barkrock #ayda aguefort #tracker o'shaughnessey #aelwyn abernant #sandra lynn faeth #jawbone o'shaughnessey #lydia barkrock #sklonda gukgak #digby thistlespring #wilma thistlespring

[readerhead]

Invisible string

summary: what happens when you’re in love with your friend? Would something happen? Would there be a perfect occasion? What if you two were predestined?

pairing: Stiles Stilinski x reader (I wrote this thinking of a female reader but I think there isn't any word that imply it)

warnings: some drinking? It’s actually just fluff

word count: 2.7k

a/n: first of all, English isn’t my first language so sorry beforehand if there's any mistake. I obviously did this while I was procrastinating because I thought there are not many Stiles x reader fanfics that are not long series (I think I read all of the ao3 ones) so here I am to contribute and hopefully encourage people to do more because I need them to live. Hope you enjoy it <3

----------------------------------

I remember very clearly the day all started, years ago. You were in Beacon Hills, your hometown, right after the accident. You were in the hospital waiting for news from your parents when you saw the lovely nurse you met before. She was kneeling, trying to calm a kid your age. You walked over there and tried to help.

"Oh, hi sweetheart! This is Stiles. He's having a hard moment, I'll go with you when I finish." the boy stopped crying and opened his eyes, he was met by your comforting smile. He sniffed a little while you introduced yourself.

"Why are you sad?"

"My m-mom, she's very sick."

"I'm sorry to hear that. My parents are here, too. Maybe we could cheer each other. I-If you like of course." your chubby little cheeks turning rosy.

"Sure. That'll be awesome." his eyes were a lot less watery than before.

You too spend all the evening talking and distracting each others from your cruel reality. You really wanted to stay here forever and not confront your life or emotions. But forever seemed like a joke for you after that afternoon and the sweet nurse was coming to you with your aunt. You were sure that meant no good so you took the scarce time with the boy to say goodbye.

"I think they are coming for me, so I've got to go."

"But we were having a great moment." he pouted a little and you couldn't help but smile at him.

"Here." you handed him your bracelet made of gemstones. "If you ever feel panicked again this would help you." The boy looked at the clear and black crystals confused. "The dark ones are obsidian and the other is quartz, my granny told me they would keep away bad energies and attract good ones."

"Thank you very much." He was genuinely happy because, even if it worked or not, he had something to remember you.

"I'll never forget you." as you said this your aunt touched your shoulder and told you that you're going with her. You heard him say something under his breath but you didn't understand it.

Less than an hour later your parents had passed away in the hospital due to the injuries of the car accident. You had to move to the big city with your aunt. Years passed and your aunt found a better job offer in Beacon Hills. That and the delicate health of your grandma made you move back there.

You found yourself being friends with the popular girls of the school which was really strange to you, but they were nice. You also befriend one of his exes, Scott. You didn't want to make them uncomfortable but after a couple of months and some weird shit happening, all of you ended up in the same friend group. You learned that the supernatural existed and you thought the craziest thing that would happen to you here was when you started having a crush on one of your friends.

You lived near Scott, so you went to his house before Stiles picked you two up to the costume party in Lydia's house. You were greeted by his mom, you haven't met her in the couple months knowing him because you only went there a couple of times and she was working.

"Hi, sweetheart! I'm Melissa, you must be Scott's friend." you were paralyzed.

"Y-You-u." your face lost all its color.

"Are you alright?" she asked, reaching for you in case you passed out. You gulped and recovered yourself. When she saw you better she let you in and went for a glass of water.

"I'm sorry. It’s just... You were the nurse that calmed me years ago, the day my parents died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." she gave you an apologetical look, probably because of the trauma dumping and she not being able to remember you.

"Don't be. It doesn't affect me that much after all these years." she gave you an understanding smile. "I don't know if you remember but there was a boy there with me, his mother was sick. I always wondered what happened to him." In that exact moment Scott entered the kitchen, greeting you.

"Wow, your costume is really cool!"

"You don't know who I am, don't you?"

"Not a single idea, but it's still great."

"Thank you. I'm Padme by the way." you saw his confused look. "From Star Wars?" his face lightened up.

"No chance dude! Stiles is going as one character too!" you blushed, maybe it wasn't a couple one but you'll be matching costumes with the guy you liked.

"They're made for each other." Melissa said in a tone you barely heard because a honk overlapped it.

"That's him, we should get going." Scott made his way to the door while you turned to face his mother.

"I promise I'll tell you about the boy, now go and have fun!" you just met her again but it seemed as if you have known her a long time. You made your way out entering the jeep, not registering the boy at your side until he talked.

"W-Whoa. You're amazingly dressed as Padme." you frowned and turned to look at Stiles. First you notice his eyes wide and lips parted. Then you inspected his costume realizing.

"And you're going a-as Anakin." you surely looked like those cartoons with their eyes out because of the shock.

"What am I missing? Are you guys going like an accidental couple costume or something?" he said laughing but you both faced the windshield with your almost crimson cheeks not laughing at his joke too and he realized.

"No way! You are!" you made yourself little in your seat while you still heard Scott chuckling in the back. Stiles started the engine and his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

The way was a little uncomfortable, but between their talking, your silence and the music, your desires of drowning stopped. Just when Stiles parked you undid your seatbelt and opened the door.

"See you guys, I'm going to look for Ally and Lyds!" you almost ran until you found them.

"Girls red code!" you said a little too loud when you found them.

"Werewolves?" Allyson asked.

"Oh. No, no. I clearly should've not used those words."

"What is it then?"

"Isn't obvious?" the redhead interfered grinning. "Is a boy red code."

"Did Stiles finally kissed you and you did something stupid like run to us?"

"What? No! He doesn't like me. And why do you think I would mess that up?" that offensive supposition made you almost forget about the matter.

"And I'm black haired. Now go on." she said, rolling her eyes.

"StilesandIareaccidentallydressedasacouplecostume." you took a deep breath after that.

"Oh that." Lydia nudged Allyson.

"What? You knew?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I know you've been here long enough to take a shot and there's not even a drop of alcohol in you." you knew they knew something, but you needed that shot.

"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen but we'll talk about it." you went there and took a couple of shots before pouring a drink.

"Hey." you almost poured the cup when you heard his voice.

"Hi." you stopped your actions and took the filled plastic cup in your hand.

"What a coincidence this outfit choice."

"Yeah." you looked over the responsibles of it, even if you didn't know how.

"I mean if you're uncomfortable I have another costume in my house. I can go and change." you saw him looking at the floor and your heart skipped a beat.

"No! I mean, I don't have any issue at all."

"Thank goodness." He looked back at you. "When you ran away from Roscoe I thought you didn't wanna see me all night."

"It was just... Unexpected, but it's kinda nice." you saw the dimple you love appearing in his cheek.

"You look really badass in the Geonosis battle's outfit" he took a step closer.

"You don't look bad yourself, Skywalker" you slightly tugged his dark robe as if you were stretching it. You two were inches apart, your cup long lost on the countertop. He smelled heavenly and his warmth made you lean closer. You could swear he was also inching closer.

"You know, we should do a Star Wars marathon." he pulled apart scratching his nape.

"Yeah, totally." you couldn't help the disappointment slipping between your lips while you gazed at your cup. "You know, this was a lovely chat but I think the girls are waiting for me."

You took your drink and surrounded him, making your way out. You searched for any of your friends until you found someone. Not exactly who you had thought of, but the only one who wasn't inside the house. You sat at Scott's side on the wicker couch near the pool.

"How's it going little pupdawan?"

"You know only Stiles gets those jokes, right?"

"Right. But I was worrying about my friend, so tell me why you're here all alone."

"Nothing, just music sometimes gets too loud when you have super hearing."

"That makes sense."

"And what are you doing here? I doubt you were looking for me."

"Well, I could be!" your mouth opened by the offense.

"Of course, but it's a party. You usually are too drunk to remember anyone." you smacked his shoulder.

"I guess today I'm sober enough." you looked at your drink between your hands and he followed your eyes.

"You don't look in the mood. Is this because of Stiles?" your gaze returned to him, now confused.

"What?"

"I'm a werewolf, I have a pretty good hearing."

"You didn't have to eavesdrop!"

"I didn't want to, is like when you have the TV as noise but they say something that catches your attention." you nodded. "And I also can hear your heartbeat and smell some emotions."

"I guess it's difficult to have some secrets with supernatural friends. So I'm assuming Isaac also knows." It was his turn to nod. "So everyone in the pack knows." you put your head in your hand.

"Except him."

"Except him." your eyes went to the party inside.

"Maybe you should tell him."

"Scott, you're his best friend, you should know that's not gonna work. He's in love with Lydia. He sees me as a friend. That's just giving me false hopes. Like before, I was in the kitchen and he came and I thought he was going to kiss me but he backed out. He probably-"

"He almost kissed you?" he cut off your rambling.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! He didn't want to kiss me. If he wanted he would have."

"You know what? Wait here." you were confused as you saw him enter the party.

Scott was taking his time so you rested your head on the back of the couch, staring at the stars. You heard the noise of the door closing and supposed it was him until you heard a tapping in the glass. You looked over and saw Scott at the other side of the glass and a very familiar back, knocking the pane.

"Stiles?" he turned around to face you.

"Hey."

"What are you doing here? Why isn't Scott coming?"

"He might have locked us out."

"Why-?" you cut yourself when you realized his not so subtle plan. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry, this is my fault. I'm going to kill him."

"How could this be your fault? In any case it is mine."

"What? No, I was talking to him about an issue and he decided to handle it on his own."

"Am I the issue? I thought you were cool with the costumes."

"It's not that, it's just... Wait, why do you think this is your fault?"

"I... Uh... He wants me to confront a situation."

"Since we're stuck outside I guess I'm the one you have to confront."

"Kind of."

"So how do you feel, Sti?"

"What do you mean how do I feel?" he looked really nervous.

"I mean that if you have to confront someone is because you're feeling somehow about them, perhaps you're mad at me?"

"What? No, I don't think I could ever get mad at you."

"Then what is it? Did I make something that bothered you?"

"No."

"You don't like something about me? Do I breathe too loudly? I chew too noisily? I laugh too hard?"

"No. No. No. Please stop!" he took your shoulders.

"Is it my rambli-" you were cut again, but this time you didn't mind interruption because he was kissing you.

Stiles was kissing you. After the initial shock you relaxed and let both of your lips melt as if they were one. You thought them fusing would be the sweetest sentence. His hands gently took your face, deepening the kiss, and yours found their perfect spot in his chest. Then both of you slowly pulled away.

"So you had to discuss with me about kisses?"  you had the biggest smile which brightened more when you saw his upside-down one.

"I actually wanted to discuss which day you can come over for that marathon. As a date, of course." you touched your lip as if you were thinking while your heart felt like it was on a race.

"How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow sounds perfect." and he pecked you.

You were thrilled when you woke up that morning, you were going to have your first date with Stiles. He told you he would go to pick you up, but he needed to pass over Scott's for something his mom made, so you decided to meet there.

"Hey Melissa! Is Stiles here already?"

"Yes, Scott is with him in the kitchen helping him to put the tupperwares in a bag." when you both went there, she called your name.

"Do you want to know what happened to that boy?"

"Oh, yeah. I always worried about how he would be."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"Do you have his number or address or something?"

"What are you talking about?" Stiles' curiosity intervened in your conversation.

"A boy I met when I used to live here. Right when my parents had the accident, he was in the hospital because of his mother's illness and I like to think we bonded. Melissa knows him so I asked about him."

"Wait, you gave him a bracelet?" you were beyond confused.

"Yes, it was made of quartz and-"

"Obsidian." he finished for you.

"How do you-" that's when it clicked to you. "It was you?"

"Yes, he was." Melissa interrupted this time.

"That explains why your name was so familiar!" you always thought you had heard his name before even being so rare, you just couldn't pinpoint where. You two headed out to the jeep to enjoy your date

"So you still got it?" he looked sad when you asked him.

"I wish. It broke the night we went to the forest and Scott was bitten. When we went the day after that I only found some of the crystals."

"I'm sorry, maybe we could do another one. I'm guessing it protected you since all of the supernatural started after." you smiled at him.

"Are you sure you didn't give me something made of rose quartz?"

"It was clear quartz. Do you even know what giving rose quartz means?" you were going to chuckle when he replied.

"Yes, that's why I'm asking." you really were shocked, that was the crystal for love and attraction, he was openly admitting his feelings to you. "That day after I met you, I did some research on crystals." he confessed a little awkwardly, clearly a little embarrassed.

"Wow. That's really sweet, Sti." you kissed his cheek. "So I guess there's nothing I can show you, little padawan."

You two made the way to his home talking about random things and the day before, you even told him the part where you met Scott outside, he laughed at your joke and your heart tightened at the sound.

I love my job, being able to bring two soulmates together, as you two. Making the opportunities happen, like the fact that you two went to the same hospital, you going back to Beacon Hills or even you two choosing the matching costumes. Maybe putting Lydia and Scott in his first full moon was a little far-fetched, but it was worth it. Some people call me Destiny or shorten it to Fate, others say I'm a red thread or even a golden invisible string, but it doesn't matter who I am, the only important thing is you two finally being with each other.

----------------------------------

a/n: I almost forgot to mention that this was inspired Taylor Swift’s song ‘Invisible string’ :)

#stiles stilinski x reader #stiles x reader #stiles stilinski fluff #stiles stilinski x you #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski fanfic #stiles x you #teen wolf #stiles fluff

[effloradox]

musical!beetlejuice + sfw alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

so physically affectionate, will not leave you alone (if you're okay with that!!), he's so obviously touch starved that once you're in a (tentatively named) relationship it becomes free game that he can and will be touching you at all times

cuddles are a must, will ask you any time you are alone together (and it can and sometimes does lead to more)

he also really likes giving gifts but he is terrible at it (the maitlands have told him on numerous occasions that he can’t give you body parts as gifts, it’s not really sunk in yet) but he’s trying his best!! and he’s so endearing when he gives you anything!

if you gift him anything he will boast to literally everyone he haunts for like a fortnight afterwards

he loves when you initiate the affection though!! like wow this person is choosing to do this, he didn't have extort, torture, or lie for this!! please get him some therapy

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

post-canon, lydia ends up with a chaos demon best friend and lucky you, you're going to be dragged into all the chaos that takes place! (and potentially be damage control / the voice of reason)

the deetz-maitland household has barely known peace since the two of them became best friends, and now you’re included with that, good luck!!

both of them will listen to you (sometimes) so you'll be invited to join in with scaring the shit out of the pizza delivery guy :) it's a good couples bonding activity don't question it

you're always very willing to help if it's aimed at someone who was being creepy with lydia, that's when you have to convince the two of them that they can't murder the guy that did it (even if you agree with them)

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

as mentioned before, he’s literally obsessed, can and will take every single opportunity to cuddle you

the first time you initiate it, he will turn bright pink and vanish from the room, he can’t believe someone actually wants to be near him like that

he'll get used to it quickly though!!!

will force you to sit down so he can rest his head in your lap sometimes, he absolutely loves it

he purrs if you mess with his hair!! please do it, he'll love you forever (and lydia thinks it's hilarious)

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

do not let him cook for you unsupervised!!!! he will use bleach thinking it'll enhance the flavor profile and you will end up with an early ticket to the netherworld!! please do not consume anything he made without consulting the maitlands beforehand!!!

he likes to say he's your house spouse because he stays at home most of the time <3 (you've tried pointing out that he has a job and he does nothing around the house but he always pulls you into a kiss and that always ends the conversation)

he's pretty well set up where he is right now, living between your place and the deetz-maitland house, he considers himself to be settled down right now

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

lol he would just not do that

boy has major abandonment issues and would overlook any and all red flags any parter presented (also y'know he's a demon, for him some red flags are green flags)

I think it would be intervention from someone in the Deetz-Maitland family that would actually have to initiate any kind of break up because I just don't see him doing so

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

his green card marriage to lydia does not get brought up a lot in the house (unsurprisingly) now he's been summoned and welcomed into the house, he's less set on life via marriage because hey he has a pretty good set up going on right now without being alive, why mess with a good thing and potentially ruin it y’know

would still want to marry you eventually, but isn't going to push it too much until you start bringing it up too (doesn't wanna scare you off before he can put a ring on it y'know?)

if it leads to him being alive again then that's just a bonus

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

he does try to keep in mind that you're a living being and do not have the limits of a dead person but he forgets sometimes ):

will forget that you need to breathe when he's kissing you and wonder why you're trying to push him away

he can be gentle though!! when he remembers that you're flesh and bone

if you're in a bad mood he will proceed to dote on you in the same way that you dote on him

he's not all chaos, he can he soft when the situation arises for it (and only around people he trusts, he's got a reputation to maintain y'know?)

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

I keep talking about hugs but the ghost with the most just loves them so much 😭

all the physical affection all the time please babes <3

he hugs everyone in the house quite a lot (this was less endearing when he stank of rot and death but now he showers occasionally it’s a more welcome method of affection)

an easy solution initially was to spray him with room spray so at least he stank of flowers or pine

he does all kinds of hugs but the most common type is bear hugs that squeeze all the air out of your lungs

I = I Love You (How quickly would they say it? Would they say it a lot or rarely?)

he would say it pretty quickly, whether he means it initially is sort of up for debate, many members of the household think he only said it so quickly in the hope that you’d summon him (that did not work out if that was his intention)

it's a sweet moment and he will pull you into a kiss and no one will see the two of you for a few days <3

you’ll be able to tell the first time he says it and means it because his hair will turn magenta and he’ll try and laugh it off

if you say it back he will lose his ability to speak for a good few minutes (it’s one of the only times he’s ever been speechless in front of you)

he will say it constantly after that!! every person that meets him will know that you're in love after that :) very proud demon <3

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

he’s a demon and he’s quite territorial, jealousy is a big sticking point in anyone’s relationship with him

it’s not just with you, he gets jealous of people who get close to lydia and 'threaten' his position as best friend, he gets jealous of any work friends of charles’ who come round to view the house, it comes from his fear of being abandoned and you’re all working on ways to healthily navigate those feelings with him

he’s not perfect, and neither is anyone else, and it does sometimes feel like he’s not making any progress, but then you remember when he almost ripped someone’s heart out their chest because they winked at you a few months ago and how now he’d just growl loudly at them, and you realise that he is making progress with it, just slowly

he thinks it's absolutely hilarious if you got jealous over someone flirting with him though (do not let him know, you'll never hear the end of it)

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

messy af. that's it, that's how he kisses.

he will take any opportunity to dip you and kiss you in front of others, especially anyone who made the mistake of trying to make a move on you in front of the bug man

will kiss you anywhere and everywhere, he's a demon, he's not afraid to get messy

loves if you kiss his forehead or nose or somewhere more platonic, it makes him feel loved in a way that he isn't used to

cheesy kisses like on the back of your hand are a must <3

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

do not let him around children unsupervised!!!! do not do that!!!!

he will traumatise them and then no one's happy!!!!

if he says he's going to do a puppet show, do not let him proceed, it will not be a fun puppet show and it may end with your favourite book in the fire and the child in question crying

he likes being around kids cause he can fuck with them and no one believes them, just don't leave him on his own because then it will end with a kid having nightmares for the next few years...

is the kind of person to start a conversation with “hey kid, do you want to see something gross?” before pulling a severed finger from one of his many coat pockets (you search his pockets every time and never find any loose body parts, you’re not sure where he pulls them from)

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

he is absolutely not a morning person in any sense of the word

absolutely hates being woken up before noon

good luck getting out of bed to go to work, he will wrap an arm around you and will not let go until you threaten to banish him back to the netherworld

likes to lie on you when you are asleep so enjoy the human-shaped ice block resting on you (which is great in summer when it's hot but less good in winter when it's already cold)

slow and quiet mornings are needed because he will be groggy when he wakes up

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

depends if he's working or not!

if he’s not working then it’s horror movie night!

don't like horror films? you will by force if he has anything to do with it!! let's watch the Exorcist again babes, it won't be as scary now you've seen it 20 times!!

if he's at work he's all pouty before he has to go, like he's clingier than usual with all of you, whilst the puppy dog eyes are out in full force

he loves scaring people for a living, but he hates leaving you guys )): but you can't go with him to the netherworld so he just has to suck it up and gothe sooner he goes, the sooner he comes back right <3

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

he doesn’t think he’s revealed a lot about himself for the time he’s been around you but he has, it’s just been made through jokes about his trauma (I’m serious, get him a therapist)

it blows his mind when you casually say something he doesn’t think you know like how do you know that??? you actually listen to him???

he’s been so used to being invisible that he talks aloud to himself a lot so if you actually listen, you’ll probably have learned more about him then he’ll have meant for you to

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

by you and the Maitland-Deetz’s? not very easily

it’s something he’s worked on a lot since lydia summoned him back to their house, he didn’t want to risk being banished back to the netherworld again

by other people, it depends on what they do

people flirting with you or someone being mean to lydia is the quickest way to get his hair flushing red and his self-control straining

he does try, but he’s a demon, there’s only so much he can do that doesn’t go against his very nature

he’s made progress though, you’re all very proud of him

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

he’s bad with dates of events, it comes with how old he is

he will try his best but he just doesn’t have the head for it

he remembers a lot of what you and lydia say to him, less so for the others

you’ve learned if you want him to do something it’s better to leave notes somewhere he’ll see them rather than just saying it cause there’s a better chance that he’ll do it (but it’s still not guaranteed)

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

first ‘I love you’s probably

it really cemented that you actually like him and wanted to be around him, it was a very emotional experience for him

he speaks about it fondly to the others (and then he goes into graphic detail about what happened afterwards and that’s when the others have to cover their ears)

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

extremely protective of the whole family and the house, all of you know if anyone ever tried to break in, he'd probably kill them

the clones are helpful for that, he can always have a clone keeping an eye on things if he's away or otherwise occupied (plus adam and barbara can't leave so there's always someone there)

he likes to spend most of his time with either you or lydia, but sometimes he does have to go to netherworld for business and that's when he starts getting antsy

his hair'll be a mix of purple and yellow before he goes and no amount of reassurance can get it to change back to green

he tries to come home as quickly as possible, and if he’s going to be away from a while he will try and insist that you stay with the Deetz-Maitlands so you’re all together

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

he tries his best but dates are not gonna sink in for him, he'll try for special occasions but small things like the first time you kissed or something are just not gonna stick in his head

mentioned before but he does love giving gifts (of varying quality and safety)

he gave you a baby sandworm once, it destroyed one of the walls in your house and he wasn't allowed in your apartment until the wall was fixed

you’ve tried to get him to get approval of any gifts from Adam and Barbara since then

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

he’s not clean. at all.

even when he’s washed (which is done rarely) he still smells like he’s just been buried

you’ve taken to filling your house with scented candles and incense sticks to try and offset the smell but it doesn’t cover it completely

air freshener spray downs when he first appears are pretty common for you, you go through at least a bottle a week

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

lol have you seen this man, he’s absolutely not (apart from his hair)

it’s taken time but he will shower now!! he hates it but will do it (also if you say you’ll wash his hair he’ll only grumble rather than full-on complain about it)

is very picky about who touches his hair, says it takes him forever to get it to look like that (you've watched him stick his fingers into a plug socket to shock himself so it'll stand up so you doubt that)

you know he can wear different clothes to his suit but it's very rare that he actually does so (when you first got him to shower he did so in the suit, it was...an experience)

he likes it if you wear his suit though 👀👀😉

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

yes but also no? he's a demon, he was alive way before you were born and will be alive long after your natural death, so in that way he wouldn't because he's already been him

on the otherhand yes, he would feel incomplete, you're the first breather to ever make him feel more than lust, it does worry him what will happen when you die (but also y'know when you die you can be together forever!! won't that be fun!!)

he doesn't worry too much about what you dying will mean for your relationship, right now he's just keeping it at the back of his mind

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

animals seem to really like him oddly enough

he prefers animals on the creepier side but it’s funny watching random animals just approach him when he’s outside

he says he can understand them, though none of you know if he’s serious or if he’s joking about it

you have overheard him speaking to a pigeon as though he was mid-conversation with it when he thought no one was there but the jury’s out on it

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

the deetz-maitland household are very important to him, if you don't get on with them on a serious level it would be an issue for him

there’s accommodation of any disagreements but if either party had a serious issue with the other it would make him very anxious about a future with the partner, especially if the relationship is still fairly new

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

he sometimes starts floating when he falls asleep, so good luck if you were cuddling him!

you have woken up in the night several times to find yourself on the ceiling, no it never gets any less terrifying, yes he finds it hilarious when you frantically wake him up cause you’re terrified of falling back to the ground

can and does sleep like a dead man, he’s grumpy if he’s woken up before he’s actually done sleeping (charles once tried to get him out of bed for a house meeting on etiquette, it didn’t go well and charles won’t talk about the incident)

he falls asleep in the weirdest places sometimes, lydia has a growing collection of photos of him in increasingly weird places

#my writing #drabbles #beetlejuice x reader #musical beetlejuice x reader

[deancasbigbang]

Title: Soda Fountain Pharmacy

Author: stayawake

Artist: girlinthemirrorbluenight

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Past Mary Winchester/John Winchester, Past Dean Winchester/Carmen, Dean Winchester/Lisa Braeden, mentioned Charlie Bradbury/Gilda, Sam Winchester/Sarah Blake, Sam Winchester/Madison, Past Dean Winchester/Lydia, Past Castiel/April Kelly, mentioned Dean/Others, Castiel/Balthazar, mentioned Castiel/Others, Past Chuck Shurley/Naomi, Past Dean/Robin, Gabriel/Original Female Character, Past Gabriel/Kali, Victor/Original Female Character, Past Jo Harvelle/Aaron Bass, mentioned Jo Harvelle/Gordon Walker, mentioned Meg/Nick, mentioned past Dean/others, mentioned past Cas/others

Length: 92000

Warnings: Underage Kissing, Underage Drinking

Tags: Alternate Universe - 90’s, High School/Teenage AU, Coming of Age, Situationship, Underage Drinking, Grief, Jealousy, Found Family, First Love

Posting Date: October 5, 2023

Summary: Cas is fifteen. He has nothing except a dead mom, a drunk dad, a new-old hometown where he doesn’t quite fit, and a part-time job at the Winchester Family Pharmacy.

Excerpt: Over the course of four hours, Cas serves up two more milkshakes, a root beer float, and a handful of freshly mixed sodas. He also makes just under three dollars in tips. Mary shows up toward the end of his shift. She doesn’t even drop off her stuff first, just immediately walks up to Cas at the counter, takes a seat, and asks how his first day went. “It was good,” Cas says. He glances over Mary’s shoulder and watches as Dean rings up a customer. “Informative.” “Pretty straightforward, right?” “Yes,” Cas nods, full of conviction. He takes it seriously. This is a place of business after all. Mary smiles at him. “And Dean didn’t give you any trouble?” Cas shakes his head just as quickly and averts his eyes. “He was very helpful.” And just like that, Dean’s standing in front of him. “Course I was. I should be the mascot for all family-owned drug stores.” Mary gives him a look and Dean drops the act, somewhat. “Kid did great. He’ll be running the place by the end of the summer.” Mary looks back at him, proud, and it almost takes Cas out to have someone look at him with that much pride. Even at her best, his mom never looked at him like that. “Let me grab you a uniform,” Mary says. “We keep some extras in the back.” He watches her head into the backroom and looks back at Dean. “By the way, tips are usually shared among the staff,” Dean says. “For future reference.” “Oh,” Cas says, immediately reaching into his pocket to pull out the cash. Dean shakes his head. “Keep it, dude. It’s barely anything. Besides, you did all the work.” “Are you sure?” “Positive.” Cas nods, depositing the cash back in his pocket. He stands there another second wondering if he should say anything, or if he can get away with signing out and then leaving. He wonders what Dean will get up to for the rest of the day. He spent most of his down time during their shift studying. Cas wonders if he was getting his studying out of the way now in case he has plans later. “Hey,” Dean says, grabbing his attention back. “Don’t be offended if I ignore you at school.” “Oh,” Cas says. He shrinks in on himself. Sometimes he feels so young. “Yeah.” Dean shrugs like it’s no big deal. Maybe it isn’t, to him. To Cas, it feels like someone stomped on his heart. “See you around, kid.” Cas watches him leave, like he didn’t leave something shattered in his wake.

DCBB 2023 Posting Schedule

#dcbb 2023 #fic preview #2023 promo #deancas #destiel

[mysunfreckle]

I have thought of a cursed Pride and Prejudice AU:

• Darcy leaves Georgiana's elopement out of the explanatory letter he writes after the failed proposal at Hunsford, only revealing Wickham's refusing the living in exchange for money and then demanding it anyway. This still softens Elizabeth opinion of him, she still believes him, but has less sway over her feelings.

• When she sees Wickham again she still likes him enough to want to find out the truth. At her first hint he immediately confesses "the truth". He does a very good job of mourning the folly of his youth and explains how ashamed he is of his actions now. He owns that he perhaps ought to be less resentful towards Darcy, but claims that Darcy did not scruple to disdain him for a moment of folly, which, he claims, was brought on purely a by distress of circumstances. He also wishes he would have told her the whole truth immediately, but he simply couldn't bear to think it might sink him in her opinion. Elizabeth, flattered, and aided by Jane's endless faith in human good nature, believes him.

• After agreeing to let Lydia go to Brighton, Elizabeth manages to convince Mr. Bennet that this is actually a very very bad idea. But, judging that it would mean outright war at home if he retracts his permission now, he grumpily decides to take the whole family to Brighton.

• Because of this, Elizabeth does not go with the Gardiners to Derbyshire. Wickham improves his friendship with the whole Bennet family and keeps paying Lizzy special attention.

• Instead of going to Scarborough, the Bingleys and both Darcy's go to Brighton.

• Darcy sees Elizabeth again and immediately tries to show her he has listened to her reproofs on his manners. She, now convinced of his being a decent man, but not softened by a Pemberley meeting and the praise of his servants, is pleased with this change in behaviour, but not immediately so moved by it as she would have been.

• Wickham is for the first time able to see Darcy in company with Elizabeth, and, knowing Darcy's mannerisms better than almost anyone except for Georgiana, immediately sees that Darcy is genuinely in love with her. He also sees how absolutely horrified Darcy is to see him with the Bennets.

• Wickham then changes his idle flirting to full on courtship of Elizabeth, purely to get back at Darcy.

#I have no intention of writing this so it's going on the blog #so it is out of the head #austen #jane austen #pride and prejudice #george wickham #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #sunfreckle's scribbles

[swanqueen1215]

Hear me out, Beetlejuice fans!!

I'm relatively new to Tumblr, it's the first time I've posted something like this and English is not my main language, any mistake is by the translator.

Beetlejuice The Musical Headcanons

If there's one thing I noticed about the Broadway musical, it's that Juno created the guide work exclusively for Beetlejuice.

Just think about it, there are no more "Guides" except Beetlejuice, besides, why would you want to use a guide in the first place? Absolutely all the information a dead person needs comes in the "Recently Deceased" manual. Juno just wanted to get rid of her son, and gave him a completely made-up job, which would keep him busy and away from her. In addition to the fact that Beetlejuice is literally a demon, just like his mother or perhaps he is a hybrid between a deceased person and a demon.

Maybe that's also why Beetlejuice feels so lonely because being half-human and half-Demon, he's still tied to human biology and his need to make friends.

It is very likely that Beetlejuice is also tied to the Deetz-Maitland house, since he was murdered there, so I see very possible that he will be able to return.

I have an idea of what may have happened to his mother the day he left home. Maybe Beetlejuice heard from someone that BFFFFs are people who love each other, support each other, and are lifelong companions. Perhaps, Beetlejuice, in search of his next friends, left home with that goal in mind. Maybe that's why his mother, when she goes to pick him up at the Deetz-Maitland house, teases him by saying that he was looking for someone to love him.

Also, I have another theory:

When Beetlejuice says:

"I'm gonna have a new best friend!!"

This implies that he has had other friends and that Lydia will be another new best friend and when he says:

"Why does everyone keep leaving me!!"

He shows that he has had "friends" in the past and all those he once loved abandoned him or that there have been more people who have left him. Most likely, those "friends" were recently deceased who got scared and abandoned him.

Beetlejuice's connection to Lydia is much deeper than I thought.

It is impossible that Lydia was the only one who could see Beetlejuice in all the centuries of his existence, it is very likely that many more "strange and unusual" people have come across him, but decided to ignore him or pretend that he does not exist because obviously something wasn't right with him. But since Lydia was the only one who wanted to talk directly to him, she makes her more special, because she doesn't run away from him and even the two look too much alike. Remember Barbara's line in the song, "Fright of Their Lives"?

-We're not like you...

-I know that BARBARA!! No one is like me... That's the problem!

But I want to point out that Lydia is just like him... (not so disturbed)

But it turns out that Lydia is not only like him, but their situations are very similar and I dare say they're the same.

Beetlejuice had good reason to ONLY want Lydia to marry him... Because he didn't even want to talk to Delia, because she's the only one of marriageable age and the most eligible... I don't think Beetlejuice would have cared about her engagement to Charles.

Beetlejuice was so desperate that he would have taken any opportunity that came his way, but he still insisted that Lydia be his wife before anyone else. I think Beetlejuice saw that the marriage to Lydia would be to get that green card, but I honestly don't think it was for such superficial reasons... Had he had, he would have considered Delia but even he felt a much MUCH deeper attachment to Lydia, for she was his first time in everything that he did that night.

She's the only human connection he's ever had in his entire existence. I can understand why he wanted her as his wife... Well, while it is true that their time together was brief (very brief), it was a night full of emotions and feelings (like a roller coaster) but maybe it's been the only night he's ever felt alive. The idea of sharing a song full of mischief that would scare anyone, next to the only person who can see you (literally and metaphorically) must have been wonderful.

They both shared happiness, adrenaline and fun with the power of their voices.

She is and was his only friend and perhaps the only one who really understood him... It is very likely that he has considered living a wonderful life with his BFFFF as his wife for his entire life and I find it very beautiful that Lydia was the first and only option to marry and live.

Here I'm going to give a couple of facts about Beetlebabes. Now, antis, leave this post, please.

Don't you think we've already seen a lot of MANY couples similar to Beetlejuice and Lydia??

Without going any further, let's look at the work of Tim Burton

The dead one and the breather one:

(Technically, The Corpse Bride and Beetlejuice have almost the same plot, a dead person wants to marry a living person and the marriage represents the climax of the story.)

Emily x Víctor

The Freak and the Dying Beauty Girl:

Barnabas x Victoria

Another freak and the beauty girl

Edward x Kim

Alice x Tarrant

And looking to other directors and productions

The Dead Boy and the Living Girl:

Casper x Kat

The Ghost and the Talented Girl:

Erik x Christine

The Beauty and The Monster

Zatz x Maya

Belle x Beast (Adam)

Thomas x Edith

Jareth x Sarah

Technically... Cinema and the director of Beetlejuice himself have accustomed us to shipping this type of couples. So don't feel guilty about shipping them, maybe it would be better to pair them if Lydia is of legal age.

I think it's kind of funny that they included Lolita's joke... The plot is about a sick man who ruined his life by becoming obsessed with an underage girl.

And here I'm going to pause to include a song from my country that fits this couple.

I'm actually Latina and I want to remind my language brothers that there's a Gloria Trevi song that fits very well with Lydia and Beetlejuice.

Here I will leave the translation of the song from Spanish to English.

Since she is no longer here

He does not rest in peace

His soul cries, he is not satisfied with his loneliness

Since she is no longer here

He began to wander

His penitent soul without the option of death for eternity

They met in a cold December, three years ago

He wanted to scare her through the window

She scared him when she smiled at him

He looked into her eyes and fell deep into her heart.

She is a crazy, lost crazy

He adores her wounded soul

And they loved each other, dancing out of time the psychophonies that he sang in the wind

She is a crazy, lost crazy

He appears in fire and polychrome

The ghosth and the insane girl want married

Her father doesn't want to accept it.

But a curse binds him in the mansion

That's why he sings, sings and the wind carries away his lamentation

If you pay attention

You will hear his voice

And surely she there in her white cell

She dances psychophonies of love

She is a crazy, lost crazy

He adores her wounded soul

And they loved each other, dancing out of time the psychophonies that he sang in the wind

She is a crazy, lost crazy

He appears in fire and polychrome

The ghosth and the insane girl want married

Her father doesn't want to accept it.

She is a crazy, lost crazy

He adores her, she never forgets him

Well he surrounds her with psychophonies

The dead talk to us, but some of them love us...

This song is like an AU, if Charles had never believed Lydia that ghosts really exist, and he sent her to a mental sanatorium that she never came out of, because she wasn't really crazy. It scares me how much the song fits in with the plot of the musical.

Dios mío... Me asusta lo mucho que se parecen las tramas de la canción y del musical... Claro que con un final terrible....

For now that's all, thanks for taking the time to read me! Bye! 💕😘

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